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Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, right, celebrates with Manchester City’s Savinho after scoring his side’s second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Manchester City at King Power stadium in Leicester, England, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Manchester City marked Pep Guardiola’s 500th game in charge with a much-needed 2-0 win over Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday, although the team still looked far from the juggernaut that has dominated English soccer for much of the Spaniard’s reign.
Savinho scored his first goal for the club in the first half and then set up Erling Haaland for the second in the 74th as the struggling four-time defending league champion ended a five-game winless run in all competitions.
It was far from a vintage City performance but perhaps it could mark the start of a turnaround for a team that is enduring the worst run of results in Guardiola’s nine years at the helm.
This was only the club’s second win in 14 games in all competitions. And even against a team mired in the relegation zone, City was pegged back for much of the second half until Haaland’s header ended Leicester’s resistance.
Savinho put the team ahead in the 21st minute by pouncing on the rebound after Phil Foden drove forward and tried a low shot from distance that Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk pushed to the side. The ball fell into the path of the onrushing Savinho, who lifted it over the goalkeeper and into the net.
The winger then turned provider by lifting a perfect cross into the box for Haaland to head home the second, shortly after Jamie Vardy had missed a good chance for a Leicester equalizer.
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