From the start, Leicester City looked the better team and terrorized Manchester City on the counter attack.
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Poor marking allowed defender Huth to sweep in Mahrez’s free kick, via a deflection off Martin Demichelis, after three minutes.
Sergio Aguero replied for City with a glancing header in the 87th minute – his seventh goal in five games – but a rain-lashed day at the Etihad Stadium belonged to Leicester.
Of Vardy, Italian Ranieri said: “Jamie is a fighter”. Ranieri pointed out that they are not feeling any pressure, which contributed to their impressive victory.
“I’m not a magician”, Ranieri said.
Manchester City must pick themselves up for the visit of another in-form team, Tottenham, before starting a run of fixtures that sees them play in the FA Cup, Champions League and the Capital One Cup final in the space of a week.
Huth opened the scoring from a third-minute Mahrez free-kick and headed in Leicester’s third goal on the hour after Mahrez had darted through the ragged City defense to make it 2-0.
Claudio Ranieri’s side are now at the top of the table with a five-point lead over second-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
The 29-year-old sensation of the season, whose rise from minor league obscurity to Premier League stardom has captured the imagination of a Hollywood scriptwriter, has agreed terms that commit his future to Leicester for a further year beyond his existing deal. “After that we will wait to see what happens at the end of the season”. “But we also know that we have to go to the limit every time”.
Arsenal can also move above Manuel Pellegrini’s side if they win at Bournemouth on Sunday.
The Foxes are top of the table after being bottom at the same stage last season, only avoiding relegation with seven wins from the last nine games. We want them to train the same as they play.
Surprise leaders Leicester have just the league to focus on and with few injury problems at present, they could have a clear advantage in the title race.
It is a measure of the sense of calm and persepective Ranieri has instilled in his players that he believes they were under more pressure fighting for survival last season than they are now with their shock title tilt.
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“I do not think it’s a ideal formula but football is not chemistry, [there are] no universal rules”. We have only lost one game but we had not won for four games and of course that was on our mind. “There are 13 games more so it’s hard to predict”. We have got a squad that has been together for a while and been through some highs and lows and those times bond you together.
