LEICESTER CITY 0, MANCHESTER CITY 1
Frank Lampard strike keeps City ticking over in the title race with 7th straight win
Edin Dzeko injured in the warm-up, Vincent Kompany limps off with another hamstring injury
First start for teenage striker Jose Angel Pozo
It was another costly victory for Manchester City as they lost Edin Dzeko to injury in the warm-up and then captain Vincent Kompany to another hamstring pull late in the game.
Veteran midfielder Frank Lampard, who City manager Manuel Pellegrini has now admitted he would like to keep at the Etihad for the rest of the season, weighed in with another classic goal to keep City in the title race but the treatment room at the Etihad is filling up again with injuries to key players.
City now have injuries to all three senior strikers, with Sergio Aguero out for upwards of two months with a knee ligament injury, with Stevan Jovetic feeling a slight muscle problem in the days leading up to Leicester game and now Dzeko with a calf problem.
Teenager Jose Angel Pozo was quickly drafted in at short notice to start against Leicester, his first start for City, and what the 18-year old – nicknamed ‘mini Messi’ – missed in stature he made up for in pace. Pozo’s inexperience showed at times during the game which may lead Pellegrini to opt to buy a striker in the January transfer window, though.
With Alvaro Negredo on loan at Valencia this season the talk of City entering the transfer market to bolster their campaign might come into sharp focus in the aftermath of this game at the King Power Stadium.
City didn’t look fresh after their midweek exploits in Rome, their first chance came over half an hour into the game, but they upped a gear and Samir Nasri produced a fine cross for Frank Lampard to convert from close range as he produced another trademark ghosting run into the penalty area to convert the cross.
It was Lampard’s 175th Premier League strike, bringing him level with Thierry Henry in fourth place in the All-Time Premier League scorers chart, and his sixth goal in 14 games for City.
Leicester pushed for the equaliser while City responded by toughening up in midfield with the introduction of James Milner for Lampard after an hour and, later, Pozo’s withdrawl for Jesus Navas after 73 minutes leaving Silva to push up front as a false 9.
There was a late blow for City captain Kompany, though, as he limped off with another hamstring injury to be replaced by Martin Demichelis with 15 minutes to go but City finished strongly with chances by Toure and Navas.