Blues looking ready to leap

CITY avoided a potential banana skin in the form of Leicester City on Saturday, fighting back from behind to beat the Foxes and sending a message to Liverpool in the process.

The result saw City cut Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League table to eight points, although the Reds do still have a game in hand, and while that margin is still significant, the result serves as a warning to Liverpool.

City were brilliant against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last weekend, sweeping aside a disjointed side with De Bruyne again pulling the strings, but the result against Leicester was a different scenario.

City were facing off against a team who have barely put a step wrong this season, a side that have flourished under Brendan Rodgers and one that possessed numerous attacking threats that could be a thorn in City’s side.

However, City looked largely in control throughout, excluding the Vardy goal, and Guardiola showed his tactical strength of being able to cope with opposition threats - although he insisted pre-match that this wasn’t something he looks at.

What is perhaps more significant though is the fact that the mantle is now passed over to Liverpool to do the same on Boxing Day and it’s only the second time this season that the two title rivals have played the same opponent after each other.

Liverpool cannot afford to encounter any issues and, should they do so, the recent performances from De Bruyne and company show that the defending champions cannot be written off yet.