BAD TIDINGS

It’s been a blue Christmas for Pep as Leicester leave him

PUNCH-DRUNK City are suffering a giant-sized Christmas hangover which has left their title hopes in tatters.

Who’d have thought it? Suddenly things look very serious indeed.

In less than a week their Premier League crown sits uneasily on their heads.

This defeat along with the shock 3-2 home loss against Crystal Palace at the weekend has seen the gap between themselves and leaders Liverpool stretched to seven points. They now face Jurgen Klopp’s men at home in seven days’ time with defeat something they can’t even begin to contemplate.

The wheels could hardly have come off at a worse time and they can have no complaints about finishing second-best at the King Power. Ricardo Pereira delivered the knockout punch – a fiercely-struck 81st-minute shot which flew past Ederson into the City net.

It is the first time the champions have lost consecutive Premier League games since December 2016, with the second defeat in that run also coming away to Leicester.

You could see everything drain from Pep Guardiola’s men as they took in the enormity of what had just happened. Marc Albrighton’s corner had been headed out to the edge of the box by Leroy Sane but only into the path of Ricardo. He took it in his stride and the trigger on a venomous right-foot shot which ripped into the far corner. It was no more than Leicester deserved. For a frantic four-minute spell towards the end of the first half they had City all over the place. Claude Puel’s men must have been kicking themselves they didn’t go in at the interval in front.

The Foxes had already shown they weren’t prepared to lay down in front of a City side who had stormed into an early lead. When Bernardo Silva shot Guardiola’s