Relief for Guardiola as Mahrez slip-up avoids more pain
There were 13 minutes left of this game when Gaël Clichy dived in at the feet of Riyad Mahrez, gifting the Leicester City playmaker a penalty and a chance for the deposed Premier League champions to draw level.
Pep Guardiola cuts an agitated state at the best of times on the touchline but at that moment the Manchester City manager could have been forgiven for feeling anxious. The fight for Champions League qualification has been far more arduous than Guardiola could have expected and, as Mahrez stepped up to take his penalty, the pressure threatened to be cranked up another notch on Manchester City.
And then fortune shone on Guardiola and his players in the most curious of circumstances. Mahrez slipped as he went to strike the ball, touching it twice, before the penalty sailed past Willy Caballero. The Manchester City goalkeeper spotted the infringement and signalled to referee Bobby Madley, who agreed and ruled out the goal.
This would have been an easy decision to miss, so credit to Madley for calling it correctly. After all, only three days earlier Antoine Griezmann’s pen- alty against Real Madrid in the Champions League had been allowed after Cuneyt Cakir, the Turkish referee, failed to spot that the Atlético Madrid striker had touched the ball twice.
“The shot was a little bit strange and when I saw the reaction from Willy I understood immediately it was two touches and the referee was so brave to do the rule,” Guardiola said.
Guardiola has had his battles with referees this season but he should thank Madley. Two-nil up and seemingly coasting after David Silva opened the scoring before Gabriel Jesus converted a penalty, Manchester City gradually began to unravel once Leicester pulled a goal back courtesy of a sublime volley from Shinji Okazaki late in the first half. Hesitant and nervy after the interval, the hosts were clinging on by the end, the relief palpable in the clos- ing seconds when Caballero punched clear a free-kick from Mahrez.
For now Manchester City just have to find a way to get over the line, and this victory was of paramount importance in the scramble for the top four. But it also offered a stark reflection of the size of the challenge Guardiola has on his hands trying to turn this erratic bunch into genuine title challengers.
“The second half we didn’t know whether to attack or defend,” Guardiola said. “You have to understand how important it is for the club, the fans, the players, everybody [to finish in the top four]. You are in the middle, you are not sure if you should defend or attack, and then when that happens you’re not good enough.”
It had looked like being such a straightforward afternoon. With Leroy Sané and Raheem Sterling causing problems on the flanks and Yaya Touré screening the midfield so impressively that Silva and Kevin De Bruyne had ample freedom to roam forward, Guardiola’s men were in the driving seat. This was Touré’s 34th birthday, but he looked 10 years younger, and it is hard to believe he spent the opening months of the campaign exiled by Guardiola.
The Ivorian’s future is still up in the air, but with so many other players to shift this summer, it would seem illogical not to give him a 12-month contract extension, especially given the help he can offer the younger players. An example came in the 35th minute when Manchester City, already in front, won a penalty after Yohan Benalouane poleaxed Sané with a challenge even more brainless than Clichy’s on Mahrez.
Touré initially seemed set to take the penalty but then Jesus sidled over and
asked for the ball. Without any remonstration, Touré handed it over and then embraced the young Brazil striker warmly after he nonchalantly buried the penalty into the bottom corner.
Sané should have scored in the 19th minute but he shanked his shot wide. Then a cross from Sterling bounced out to Clichy, only for the Frenchman to elect to pass rather than shoot.
City only had to wait another minute before taking the lead. Sané collected a wonderful raking pass from Touré and drilled over a cross that Silva bundled home, but Leicester’s acting manager, Craig Shakespeare, felt Sterling, stood marginally offside, was interfering with play. There was no contact but Sterling did swing a boot. “It is a clear offside decision,” Shakespeare said. “In terms of the real crucial decisions, that is one that has gone against us.”
The resilience Leicester showed helped explain why they won the title, and their spirited reaction after making it 2-1 spoke volumes for their character.
Mahrez, hitherto well-shackled, cut inside and sprayed a pass out to Marc Albrighton. Albrighton had far too much time to whip in a menacing cross, although the finish from Okazaki was a show-stopper. Nimbly adjusting his body, the Leicester forward used the pace of the ball to guide a wonderful volley into the top corner.
Leicester were firmly in the ascendency in the second half. Albrighton was left with a black eye after an accidental elbow by Fernandinho and had responded before long by scything through the Manchester City player and picking up a yellow card. That was two minutes after Mahrez won and then unwittingly spurned his penalty.
“It is a freak penalty, a double touch, and clearly the letter of the law states it doesn’t stand,” Shakespeare conceded. “What I will say in terms of the letter of the law is that an eagle-eyed official probably notices the encroachment of two Man City players, but you don’t often get that these days. Maybe he [Madley] can pull play back before then, but in real time it happens really quickly.”
Manchester City (4-1-4-1) Caballero 6; Fernandinho 6, Kompany 7, Otamendi 6, Clichy 5; Touré 7; Sterling 6 (Agüero 78), De Bruyne 6 (Zabaleta 82), Silva 6, Sané 6; Jesus 6 (Navas 90). Subs Gunn (g), Fernando, Nolito, Kolarov. Booked Kompany, Agüero, Silva. Leicester City (4-4-1-1) Schmeichel 6; Simpson 6, Benalouane 5, Fuchs 6, Chilwell 6; Mahrez 5, Ndidi 6, King 6 (Amartey 68 6), Albrighton 7 (Gray 80); Okazaki 6 (Slimani 73); Vardy 5. Subs Zieler (g), Musa, Kapustka, Wasilewski. Booked Benalouane, Fuchs, Albrighton. Referee R Madley (West Riding).