Haaland-less City beat Leicester to go top of the league

Sports Desk, Oct 29 (EFE).- An exquisite freekick from Kevin de Bruyne saw Manchester City take the three points away to Leicester City on Saturday and go to top of the Premier League despite the absence of Erling Haaland.

Pep Guardiola’s side will hold the spot until at least Sunday, when second-place Arsenal take on last-place Nottingham Forest.

Without Haaland for the first time so far in this year’s Premier League season, City relied on talented midfielder de Bruyne, whose long-range direct freekick put the visitors ahead in the second half.

Julián Álvarez, a stand-in for the Norwegian striker, was adrift for much of the first half. While the visitors dominated the game, they kept coming up against the wall of Leicester’s defense.

Guardiola’s side spent most of the first half in the opponent’s end of the pitch, but struggled to complete phases of play or capitalize on corners.

They were also caught out on the counter, with Harvey Barnes forcing a save from Ederson in the 23th minute.

Leicester, buoyed by two wins and a draw in the last three games, sought to sap Manchester City’s hope, but made an error with the foul that led to de Bruyne’s goal.

The Belgian curled it into the top left corner, far out of Danny Ward’s reach. EFE

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