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Manchester City ran riot against Leicester City in their Boxing Day Premier League fixture as Raheem Sterling bagged a brace in their 6-3 thrashing of the Foxes.
Pep Guardiola's men went 4-0 up within the first 25 minutes of the game, effectively putting the result beyond doubt. Despite being left in awe by City's flawless attack, Leicester refused to bow down and enjoyed a few good chances in the first half.
In the second half, it was the visiting side's chance to shine as they pulled back three goals in a span of 10 minutes. But Aymeric Laporte's goal nipped their hopes of a comeback in the bud.
As Manchester City make it nine wins in a row in the Premier League, here we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Manchester City back in their groove
Manchester City put on a show against Leicester City, scoring four times in the first 25 minutes of the game. They found space between Leicester City's defensive line quite easily. Their effective passing in the final third could've ended in a lot more goals for the hosts but they took a breather.
Despite that, they were able to play one of the highest-scoring games across Europe's top five leagues in the 2021-22 campaign. They have now scored 17 goals in their last three Premier League games while conceding just three goals.
The players are linking well in the final third and Sterling has hit form at the right moment. They head into the new year as one of the most in-form sides in the division, putting a slow start to their season behind them.
#4 Raheem Sterling scores twice as he hits a purple patch
Raheem Sterling bagged a brace tonight, scoring from the penalty spot in the 25th minute and finishing off the scoring in the 87th-minute. It was the seventh goal of the season for the 27-year-old forward in the Premier League.
Interestingly, he has scored in the last four league outings for Manchester City and five of these seven league goals have come in December.
He had a great outing against Leicester City, with all three of his shots in the game being on target. He also maintained an impressive 90.7% pass accuracy, something rarely seen in forwards.
#3 Leicester show that Manchester City have flaws that can be exploited
Manchester City's first-half extravaganza was almost undone by Leicester City's second-half resurgence. The Foxes threatened to launch a comeback, scoring three goals in 10 minutes.
Leicester broke away on a quick break as Marc Albrighton picked out James Maddison. He was able to move past Aymeric Laporte with a smart touch and skip past Ruben Dias virtually unchallenged. Dias did not commit to a challenge as was one booking away from missing the game against Brentford.
Maddison picked out Kelechi Iheanacho with a smart pass and a quick one-two followed which resulted in an easy finish for the midfielder. He was at the heart of Leicester's second goal as well.
Manchester City seem to be in cruise control whenever they have possession. But it seems they do not have a solid plan when they are out of possession and struggle against quick-counter attacks from the visitors.
#2 Manchester City stun Leicester with a clinical attacking display
Manchester City's game against Leicester City was a game of two halves for the reigning champions. Their strengths and weaknesses were both on display in this game.
They got off to an amazing start to the game as a quick and effective move led to the opening goal in the fifth minute. Fernandinho's chipped pass was perfectly weighted to find Kevin De Bruyne in the box while Bernardo Silva's run allowed the Belgian midfielder to score a beautiful goal. Their incessant attack also forced Leicester to concede two penalties in the first half.
City press very effectively but that drains them of a lot of energy. Also, their possession-based game allows them to keep their opponent out of the game. The pressing helped them score two goals in the second half to record a memorable Boxing Day win.
#1 Absence of key player felt by both sides
Manchester City and Leicester City played out an absolute thriller of a game on Sunday. Nine goals were scored, four in the first half and five in the second. So it is easy to forget that Leicester City were virtually without their first-choice back four against the rampant hosts.
Manchester City made the most of the makeshift defenders they faced here. With Marc Albrighton at right-back and Daniel Amartey playing at center-back, Leicester were unable to handle the force with which the hosts attacked.
City were without Rodri and they looked vulnerable in the middle of the pitch without the defensive midfielder. Leicester breezed through the middle for their first two goals.
