Guardiola’s shining star De Bruyne lights up King Power

GABRIEL JESUS rode to Pep Guardiola’s rescue at the King Power Stadium.

The Brazil ace came off the bench to coolly fire the winner and open up a seven-point cushion over Leicester in the race for second place.

Kasper Schmeichel had kept the Foxes in the game with a string of top-quality saves – including a superb stop from a Sergio Aguero penalty.

But he was finally beaten by Jesus’ 81st-minute strike after Riyad Mahrez’s powerful run sucked five Leicester players in around him.

A clever pass set up Jesus and he calmly slotted in the winner.

Even Schmeichel couldn’t get to that one. Manchester City were not in great form in the first half and Guardiola would have been happy to head home with three points.

The win sends the champions home in good spirit ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League showdown at Spanish giants Real Madrid.

This little epic decided who is the best of the rest in England behind champions-elect

Liverpool, with Guardiola knowing the domestic title has gone and wanting to find some rhythm to take to Spain.

It could easily have been different though.

Jamie Vardy might be short of goals lately but he loves scoring against City.

And boss Brendan Rodgers must have thought his striker’s barren run was over in the eighth minute.

Vardy has put five goals past City in seven league games – and it looked like being No.6 when Youri Tielemans sent him sprinting clear of Fernandinho.

You’d have put good money on him angling the ball in on the run but his shot hit the bottom of the post and bounced clear.

Rodgers was celebrating and most of the King Power Stadium was on its feet before the fans realised there was no goal.

Ilkay Gundogan should have put the visitors ahead nine minutes later but he saw his effort from 10 yards out stopped by Schmeichel’s left boot.

If Vardy failed to land a blow on City then Ederson did manage it on Kelechi Iheanacho five minutes before half-time.

The City keeper had made a good diving save down by his post three minutes before.

And when Iheanacho beat Ederson to Maddison’s cleverly lofted pass the Brazilian’s double-fisted punch laid out the Leicester man.

Referee Paul Tierney and the video assistant both felt that Ederson had touched the ball, though, and the decision was a corner.

Aguero’s disallowed goal from Kevin De Bruyne’s pass just before the break was so obviously offside that there was no need for debate.

But the save by Schmeichel eight minutes into the second half was worth talking about.

At the same end where Vardy hit the post De Bruyne must have thought he’d opened the scoring but with the ball looking beyond Schmeichel, the Dane dived and got his hand on it.

Nine minutes later Dennis Praet had a VAR penalty given against him for hand-balling a Gundogan shot.

Aguero hit the spot-kick straight down the middle and although Schmeichel dived to his right he still managed to block the shot with his leg as City’s penalty problems continued.

And two minutes later it was Schmeichel’s foot that stopped Aguero again, this time by the post.

The big keeper kept Guardiola’s side at arm’s length until he was finally beaten nine minutes from time.

City’s man-of-the-match Mahrez said: “It was a really tough game.

“It’s always difficult to come here, they played very deep with five at the back.

“We tried to break them down but it was difficult.

“The second half was more on the counter, so we had more space and that made the difference.

“At first I wanted to shoot and then I saw the space, and at the last moment I saw Gabi.

“I knew he wasn’t going to be offside because he was watching the line, so I gave him the ball and it was a good finish.

“The most important thing is that we won today even if we missed the penalty.

“Today we showed a great reaction after the miss.

“It was a perfect game to prepare us for facing Real Madrid, a tough game and we are ready for it”

PERHAPS the winners of the Champions League next season should have an asterisk next to their name.

Because a European Cup without Kevin De Bruyne isn’t the European Cup.

There will be quite a few Manchester City players with a decision to make if UEFA’s decision to ban the reigning Premier League champions from Europe for two years is upheld.

Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane are blessed with talent that craves the big stage.

Manager Pep Guardiola, too.

But none would be missed more than De Bruyne. At 28, the Belgian is at the peak of his powers.

He was the best player on the pitch at the King Power Stadium last night and would be a fitting Footballer of the Year.

Yet De Bruyne has never been beyond the semi-finals of football’s most prestigious tournaments.

Beaten by Real Madrid in the last four of the Champions League five years ago, he suffered again in 2018 when Belgium lost to France with a World Cup Final at stake.

With David Silva’s powers starting to wane and Sterling injured, he will be the man Real Madrid fear most when City take on the Spanish giants in the Bernabau on Wednesday night.

Playing in an advanced role just behind Aguero, he was the one player that Brendan Rodgers’ side never got to grips with.

One moment he was popping up unattended on the left wing, the next attacking space on the opposite flank.

De Bruyne thought he had the breakthrough seven minutes into the second half when he worked himself an opening on the edge of the box and appeared to have given Kasper Schmeichel the eyes.

But the Foxes keeper somehow managed to adjust himself to produce a brilliant one-handed save.

Schmeichel was Leicester’s hero again on the hour when VAR ruled that Dennis Praet had blocked Ilkay Gundogan’s shot with an outstretched arm.

Aguero went powerfully to Schmeichel’s right – but would not have been surprised when the keeper saved.

City have failed to score from the spot five times this season – including their last four.

In the end, it was Jesus who was City’s saviour 10 minutes from time – three minutes after replacing Aguero.

Former Fox Riyad Mahrez silenced the fans who jeered his every touch with a dash into the heart of the defence and his pass to Jesus on his right was timed to perfection.

This time Schmeichel was given no hope.

Rodgers will have been devastated by the defeat, with Leicester’s own return to Europe’s elite still in the balance.

The Foxes had their moments – especially in a furious opening which saw the champions hanging on. And in the seventh minute Jamie Vardy found himself left all alone with Fernandinho as Youri Tielemans pass sent him behind his marker.

But the striker’s shot bounced back off the right-hand post.

After the break it was the visitors carrying most of the threat and their control was impressive before Guardiola began to think about Madrid and brought off Laporte and Aguero.