Manchester City and Leicester City make Premier League history by netting nine goals! The most in a single Boxing Day match ever!
Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the English Premier League (EPL) to six points, after a thrilling 6-3 home win over Brendan Rodger’s Leicester City on Sunday.
The hosts scored four goals inside the opening 25 minutes, with Kevin De Bruyne and İlkay Gündoğan on the scoresheet from open play, while Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling registered from the penalty spot.
Perhaps fired up by Rodger’s half-time team talk, Leicester nearly staged an incredible comeback after the break, as James Maddison, Ademola Lookman, and Kelechi Iheanacho made it 4-3.
However, an Aymeric Laporte nodded effort and another strike from Sterling sealed the game late on, as Pep Guardiola’s side collected their ninth EPL victory on the bounce.
“We just had to control the game. At 4-0 up you have to kill the game. Leicester have some really good players. They didn’t get disheartened and kept going. Credit to them,” Sterling said after the final whistle.
De Bruyne made it 1-0 to City after five minutes, producing a fine, curling shot which found the bottom corner, after creating space for himself inside the box.
The Citizens were given a penalty eight minutes later, when Youri Tielemans fouled Laporte inside the area. Mahrez then smashed the resulting spot-kick into his former side’s net, to double the home team’s advantage.
City went three up moments later, when Gündoğan capped a fantastic passing move with a tap-in.
With the stadium clock reading 25 minutes, Sterling was fouled in the area and converted his penalty to make it 4-0.
Leicester responded in the second half and scored three goals in 10 minutes, through Maddison, Lookman, and Iheanacho, to threaten a stunning fightback.
However, Leicester’s weakness at defending set-pieces was exposed to their cost, as Laporte and Sterling both scored from corners, to seal an entertaining Boxing Day win for the blue half of Manchester.
This epic thriller contained the most ever goals in a single, top-flight, Boxing Day encounter. The previous record had stood since 1963 and was held by Tottenham Hotspur’s 4-4 draw with West Bromwich Albion.
