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A Jamie Vardy hat-trick, coupled with goals from James Maddison and Youri Tielemans, led Leicester City to an impressive 5-2 victory at Manchester City and kept them atop the Premier League with a maximum of nine. points in three games.
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City had not conceded five goals in a home game since February 2003 against Arsenal and it was the first time coach Pep Guardiola had seen a team he manages to concede five in his 686th game on the bench.
With injured forwards Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Agüero unavailable, City lacked strength as Raheem Sterling looked uncomfortable on his own up front, while a porous defense failed to contain Leicester’s lethal counterattacks.
However, City appeared to be in cruise control after a sublime volley by Riyad Mahrez against his former club gave the home side a lead in the fourth minute as Leicester barely managed to get out of their own half in the opening stages. .
Mahrez unleashed an unstoppable shot that passed goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel after the visitors failed to clear a corner, but Vardy turned the game around with two penalties on either side of a deft back heel kick.
The forward fired his first shot from the upper right corner in the 37th minute after Kyle Walker fouled him and then gave Leicester the lead in the 54th after Timothy Castagne’s low cross from the right.
Vardy completed his hat-trick four minutes later with a second penalty, this time punching his shot into the lower left corner after Eric Garcia dragged him into the area.
Substitute Maddison made it 4-1 when he fired a brilliant shot from 20 yards into the upper left corner before central defender Nathan Ake recovered the City with a header.
With Vardy limping with a hamstring strain in the final stages, Tielemans converted the third penalty of Leicester’s game in the 88th minute to put the icing on the cake for the visitors.
The loss broke City’s 11-game undefeated home run in the league dating back to last season, while it was also their first opening game loss at home since a 2-1 loss to Southampton in 1989.
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