HEAVEN 17 POINTS PEP IN RUTHLESS CLEAR FOR TITLE QUEST
LEICESTER CITY ....... 0 MANCHESTER CITY ... 2
IF Benjamin Mendy was as prolific in a Manchester City shirt as he is on social media then Pep Guardiola wouldn’t be looking for a new left-back. No doubt the Frenchman will be on Twitter telling his 1.4million followers all about the goal that put Guardiola’s side on their way to a victory that takes them 17 points clear at the top and to within 11 points of reclaiming the title.
Mendy’s 59th-minute strike was a sweet moment – proof he can still give value for the £52million City paid Monaco almost four years ago.
It was only his second goal for City but it was a flash of quality.a pity, then, that Mendy’s time at the Etihad has been hit by plenty of injury problems – and even more issues with attitude.
He’s turned up at Super
Bowls, broken Covid rules by throwing parties – and was once late reporting for a physio appointment because he fancied a lie-in after watching
Anthony Joshua fight.
Gabriel Jesus (right) sealed the win by celebrating his 24th birthday with the kind of goal that the soon-to-depart Sergio
Aguero used to score with his eyes closed. Guardiola said: “We all know how Mendy lives. But when a person is honest like him we can only love him so much. He must be really good if he can score a goal with his right foot like that!”
With a Champions League quarter-final coming up on Tuesday night, Guardiola had a bench that included Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Joao Cancelo.
But with Kevin De Bruyne in sparkling form and Fernandinho alongside him ithey still had too much for Leicester side with ambitions of finishing in second place. There was also a rare start for Aguero, the club’s record goalscorer who confirmed during the week that he will leave Manchester when his contract runs out at the end of the season. On this evidence, it looks like the right decision.
After Fernandinho’s early hit was ruled out because Aguero had strayed offside, the visitors penned the Foxes in with a crushing press.
De Bruyne shivered the crossbar with a dipping free-kick from 25 yards but Mendy made no mistake
just before the hour.the Frenchman eased the ball inside Albrighton’s challenge and curled a shot past Kasper Schmeichel’s left hand.
Jesus finished the contest 16 minutes from time after De Bruyne took out five Leicester defenders with a glorious pass.
Striker Kelechi Iheanacho had a quiet game for Leicester, despite signing a new three-year deal.
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers said: “If you gave me £500m to spend then I don’t think we’d be far away.
“In my opinion, Pep
Guardiola is the best in the world – but he does have world-class players.there’s no doubt we lost to the better team, but we kept fighting and I can have no complaints.”