What a day of sport we have in store and it’s going to begin with a bang. The Premier League’s top two do battle at the Etihad Stadium with 14 games left to play this season.
Leicester lead by three at the moment. Can City reel them in today and really ignite their charge?
Here are today’s teams:
Manchester City make four changes with Fabian Delph, Raheem Sterling, Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov coming into the side. Jesus Navas, Kelechi Iheanacho, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy are the ones to drop out.
Kick-off is at 12.45 and this match is live on BT Sport.
Man City 0 Leicester 1 (Huth ’3)
Wow, what a start. Leicester won a free kick on the edge of the area. Man City looked asleep as Mahrez just stroked it low into the area and Robert Huth steered it home.
This is setting up beautifully for the neutral already.
This has started off at break-neck speed. End to end stuff, some glorious attacking play from some of the league’s best players.
Man City have looked a bit shaky at the back — Vardy’s pace, as usual, is causing serious problems.
This has been thoroughly entertaining. David Silva, what a magical man. A mazy run from the little Spaniard leaves Leicester mesmerized but Silva drags his shot just wide.
I’d be amazed if we don’t see another few goals in this one.
Man City have been getting into this a bit more and the tempo has finally eased a bit.
Schmeichel has been called into action on a couple of occasions but the Dane has looked assured in the Leicester goal. Ten minutes left in this half.
Just in case you need a reminder of how things stand, this shows how big a results this would be for Leicester. This underdog story just keeps on giving.
Leicester are happy to sit back and wait for their opportunity to counter-attack. They’ve defended well, even as City have started to lord the possession.
Kevin De Bruyne is a big absentee for City, the ideal footballer to have at your disposal when you have to chase the game.
The rain is teeming down in Manchester at the moment.
HT: Man City 0 Leicester 1
Is this the day that everyone really starts to believe Leicester City can win the league?
It’s been an excellent performance from Claudio Ranieri’s side so far — they’ve been patient, organised and dangerous on the break.
Man City have dominated possession but have struggled to break Leicester down. They’re overplaying the ball at times, always looking for the extra pass. A more direct approach would be a welcome change from them in the second half.
City have no shortage of firepower in reserve – Iheanacho will surely see action at some stage after his FA Cup hat-trick last weekend.
Man City 0 Leicester 2 (Mahrez ’48)
Pellegrini responds immediately by changing personnel. On comes Fernando for Yaya Toure. A strange one, the Ivorian star didn’t look injured.
Iheanacho on for Delph too. Game on.
YEP, you read that right.
Mahrez must be one of the greatest transfers in the history of football. The man jinks through the Man City rearguard with the delicacy of Messi and a stepover Cristiano Ronaldo would be proud of.
He beats three players before burying it in the corner with his right foot. Superb football.
I think I’m falling in love with this Leicester team — please don’t crumble and break my heart now lads.
In case you missed it, Jurgen Klopp has been struck down by a bout of appendicitis and will miss Liverpool’s 3pm clash with Sunderland this afternoon.
WHAT A SAVE — Fernando makes an immediate impact, winning a header from a corner. He directs it downwards to Schmeichel’s left but the Dane manages to steer it away with a strong leg. He’s been excellent so far today.
OH MY DAYS!!
Man City 0 Leicester 3 (Huth ’60)
Has all this Pep talk knocked City out of kilter or have Leicester just been that good? I’m going with the latter.
Huth again, the big man rises highest for a corner and loops a header back across goal into the far corner.
This is just stunning. Whatsapp is bound to break down at some point today if this continues.
Howard Webb has pointed out that it shouldn’t have even been a corner – sure look, you’ll take it anyway.
Serious kudos has to go to Claudio Ranieri for this performance. Not many teams can set up away to Manchester City and frustrate them like this.
They’ve showed great energy, discipline and organisation in defence. And that has laid the platform for the magical Mahrez and Co to do the job at the other end of the field.
CHANCE — Joe Hart saves from Jamie Vardy after a stunning ball over the top from Drinkwater. Vardy’s speed really is something else — he’ll win those deliveries into space all day.
Man City fans are miserable in the rain but nothing can dampen the spirits of the away fans right now.
Leicester are still fighting away, not giving City any time on the ball and funneling back at speed.
David Silva off now – Celina comes on for him. The Spaniard looks like he’s picked up a knock though.
Man City 1 Leicester 3 (Aguero ’87)
Sergio Aguero nicks one back for City with an excellent near-post header. Me nerves…only a minute later the Argentine is nearly in for another after a sloppy backpass. But he fires wide under pressure from Schmeichel.
FT: Manchester City 1 Leicester City 3
“You gotta roll with it
You gotta take your time
You gotta say what you say
Don’t let anybody get in your way.”
Noel Gallagher’s voice echoes around an emptying Etihad and his words sum up where Leicester are at right now. There’s no sign of nosebleeds yet, still 13 games to play but boy, they’ve given themselves such a great opportunity to win the Premier League.
Absolutely incredible stuff.
The really ridiculous thing is the divisional finals. Having won all their divisional games, Limerick then had to go and play 2nd place Dublin. If you’re top of the league, you win. Its not as if its a humongous money spinning game for the GAA.
There should be 8 teams in Division 1. As a Dub i’m delighted with the win on Saturday night but it could have gone either way. Limerick don’t deserve to be playing in 1B. They should be playing in the Top Division with teams of the same calibre as them.
Limerick should be in the top flight no doubts.
Losing one playoff shouldn’t doom a good team to another year playing teams they’re clearly superior to.
Helps nobody
Of course leagues are ‘elitist’ – but that’s why there are leagues in the first place. Allen would be on the other side of the fence if Limerick were made to play a few meaningless games against Longford or Warwickshire in a pre-Championship tournament.
On a broader point, it seems this year like every division below 1A has one or two teams that are evidently on a higher plane than everyone else – Dublin and Limerick in 1B, Laois and Westmeath in 2A, Meath and London in 2B, Fingal in 3A and Longford in 3B (perhaps less so in the 3A and 3B divisions).
It seems like the bands of teams would be much fairer if the league was restructured into five tiers, with eight teams in Division 1 and the rest of the country (36 teams, if you brought Cavan back in) split into four divisions of seven teams each. The likes of Laois and Westmeath – Liam MacCarthy teams, basically – get back with their own kind in Division 2; Meath or London get into the third tier where they’re given a decent challenge to rise up a few notches, and Fingal or Donegal are taken out of a division where they’re consistently beating the likes of Fermanagh and Tyrone.
To be honest it seems like there are only two issues with the idea: firstly, that it would mean a few extra Sundays taken out of the county club championships (which shouldn’t be too much of a problem considering every county previously took part in an eight-county division until fairly recently), and secondly, that you’d have the seven lowest teams given the dubious honour of playing in ‘Division 5′. Realistically this is just a branding thing: I don’t see the difference between putting a team in Division 5 and putting them in Division 3B (why isn’t it called Division 6? it’s not as if Divisions 1, 2 and 3 carry any equality to the four tiers of Championship hurling anyway). A rose by another other name…
The GAA needs a complete overhaul. I know traditionalists wont like the idea, but I would love to get rid of pre league tournaments like the McGrath cup. Run off provincial championships in March&April. Then roll league and championship into one champions league style tournament 16 teams in hurling – 4 groups of 4 and top 2 from each into quarter finals. 32 teams in football (4 groups of 8 teams) top 2 from each into quarters. This would also help create a proper calendar for club fixtures.
It should be an 8 team division one, the current 6 plus Dublin and limerick! you need to have promotion and relegation
I don’t get how an eight team division one solves the problem of an elite six team division 1a. If anything it makes the situation worse. Think about it, Limerick played four of six games against Dublin(twice), Wexford and Offaly. Cork or Clare will replace Dublin next year. It’s a bit much for Limerick to believe they’re too good for that type of opposition.
With an eight team division one, the likes of Wexford will play six of seven games against Carlow, Antrim, Laois, Kerry, Westmeath and Down in division two. Being in a six team division 1b in spring is a reasonable preparation for the championship, and even offers a route to winning the league. Finding yourself in an eight team division two would be a far bigger setback.
Billy, Limerick and Dublin are better teams than wexford and offaly. they are on the same level as cork, clare and waterford and this was clear in lasts years championship. Being denied promotion two years ago was insulting. They top the league yet are still in the same division . The young players coming through need to be playing the stronger sides to develop and to make the championship stronger.
10 team in Div 1 Of hurling league .. Would include current 6 plus Dublin, Limerick, Offaly and Wexford
The format for the championship is no better. There’s more chopping and changing than their is in a match itself.
A league is a league – you win the league – end of story .