LONDON: Gabriel Jesus came off the bench to secure Manchester City a 1-0 English Premier League victory at Leicester City after yet another penalty miss by Pep Guardiola’s side on Saturday.
It looked like being a frustrating day for second-placed City when Kasper Schmeichel saved Sergio Aguero’s spot kick just past the hour but Jesus spared his blushes late on.
The Brazilian was fractionally onside as he collected a pass by former Leicester title winner Riyad Mahrez and he showed great composure to power a shot past Schmeichel.
Victory lifted City seven points above Leicester in the battle for runners-up spot behind runaway leaders Liverpool who remain 19 points clear before their clash with lowly West Ham United at Anfield on Monday.
While Liverpool’s first title for 30 years is a formality, champions City showed that they will not take their foot off the gas as they edged an absorbing game that surprisingly required 80 minutes for the deadlock to be broken.
Premier League top scorer Jamie Vardy rattled the post for Leicester early on and the home side were a constant threat on the counter-attack. At the other end Schmeichel made great saves from Kevin de Bruyne, Aguero and Mahrez while Aguero also had a goal ruled out for offside.
Danish keeper Schmeichel’s block from Aguero’s penalty means Manchester City have now failed to score five of their last seven in all competitions.
“We have missed four penalties in a row but maybe we will shoot a penalty when we need it to win something,” Guardiola said. “The keepers are good too.”
Victory was the ideal boost for City ahead of a week in which they face Real Madrid in the Champions League followed by the League Cup final against Aston Villa next Sunday. Agencies