Savinho and Haaland find answers to Manchester City's problems at Leicester | first division

It was not without the errors that have become the norm of late, but Pep Guardiola finally restarted his winning ways. city ​​of manchester machine on his 500^th party in charge. “City is back,” the visiting team's chants were heard after the final whistle. Erling Haaland sealed the win, heading in to finish off a clever move, started by substitute James McAtee. City switched gears they had struggled to find in recent weeks, switching the ball from right to left and Haaland, played by Conor Coady, came in unmarked after receiving a cross from Savinho.

Savinho got City going, delighting in the rebound of Phil Foden's shot parried by Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk, but City's second win in 14 games, and second clean sheet in as many games, was anything but routine. Still, a year that began with a 32-game unbeaten streak on the way to a fourth first division The title ended in a familiar way.

City led since the 21st^street minute, but there was no consolation until Haaland's header in the 74th. The presence of Jamie Vardy was disturbing: the striker, who will turn 38 in a fortnight, returned to the starting eleven to lead Leicester's attack and kept Nathan alert Ake. Vardy punched the visitors' crossbar and ended up tangled in the goal after lifting a high shot following a sumptuous cross from Stephy Mavididi. Vardy slipped between Aké, who was replaced by Kyle Walker midway through the second half, and Manuel Akanji, but was unable to finish. Vardy was the catalyst for the move that led to Akanji preventing James Justin from surely hooking the ball minutes earlier.

Ruud van Nistelrooy will be greatly encouraged. Bilal El Khannouss's cross from the right flank just after the half-hour mark was the perfect example of how close Leicester came to an equalizer on several occasions. El Khannouss' ball eluded Justin, Vardy, who appeared to leave it intentionally, and Facundo Buonanotte, who hit his forehead against the back post in frustration. Buonanotte familiarized himself with the post and eight minutes later sent a header against the same post after Josko Gvardiol and Savinho failed to clear the remains of an El Khannouss cross from the left.

City offered Leicester encouragement and windows of opportunity. City's first scare was averted when Vardy, after running onto a Buonanotte pass in the left channel, was called offside after being brought down in the area by Stefan Ortega, who appeared embarrassed before looking to his left in seeking confirmation from the assistant referee.

Gvardiol then headed narrowly past his goalkeeper, allowing Vardy to come in and trouble Ortega, who ran towards his near post to make the save. It was clear that City were once again lacking the aura that had been missing for some time. Kevin De Bruyne, back in the starting eleven to replace Jérémy Doku and Guardiola's only change their draw against EvertonHe managed a routine clearance at the near post after a corner from El Khannouss.

For City, a welcome buffer would have come 10 minutes before half-time if Haaland, after beating Jannik Vestergaard and evading Boubakary Soumaré, had sent his shot to the other side of a post after City had taken the lead after Mateo Kovacic will rob El Khannouss halfway. De Bruyne fired early, but Haaland had City's first notable chance, Stolarczyk parrying his first shot, coming from a De Bruyne cut-back, with his left boot.

Stolarczyk, who kept his place in goal after his first top-flight game against Leicester, should have done better but stood no chance in City's second. Haaland, who had just one touch in the rival area against Aston Villa eight days ago, made Leicester pay.