Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City very nearly destroyed Manchester City’s Premier League hopes until Vincent Kompany’s wonder-goal at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola has paid tribute to Leicester trio James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Kasper Schmeichel after his Manchester City side sealed a dramatic 1-0 win against the Foxes at the Etihad Stadium on Monday night, as reported by the Mercury.
Manchester City needed a win against Brendan Rodgers’ side in order to reclaim first place in the Premier League table with just a single game remaining but they looked set to be frustrated by a well-drilled Leicester outfit in front of a tense home support.
Maddison and Tielemans caused plenty of problems on the counter while Schmeichel made two superb saves to deny Sergio Aguero as City looked set to fall behind Liverpool at a crucial stage in the title race.
But, with about 20 minutes remaining, a Vincent Kompany wonder-goal put the champions top of the table once more, sending the Etihad into raptures. Amongst the outpouring of relief, however, Guardiola still found the time to praise three Leicester players who made life very difficult for the reigning champions.
“They’re so dangerous, Maddison is an incredible player, Tielemans too,” said the former Barcelona boss. “They want to play. I just didn’t expect them to defend so deep. It was tough to attack them.
“It was difficult to make a high press against them because Schmeichel is one of the most incredible players.”
Leicester fans can be very proud of their side’s efforts, even if a defeat kills their chances of qualifying for the Europa League.
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