Leicester 4 Man City 2: Watch highlights as Jamie Vardy scores a hat-trick to end goal drought as Pep Guardiola’s side suffer first-half capitulation

JAMIE VARDY ended a 741 minute Premier League goal drought to score a hat-trick as a ruthless Leicester took full advantage of Manchester City's first half capitulation.

The Ballon d'Or contender needed just two minutes to open the scoring after Islam Slimani put him through on goal before finishing spectacularly past Claudio Bravo.

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With less that five minutes on the clock, the Foxes doubled their advantage when City failed to deal with a long throw into the area.

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The ball fell to Andy King on the edge of the box before curling a strike out of Bravo's reach.

A rain-soaked Pep Guardiola couldn't believe what he was watching as his defence was torn apart yet again after 20 minutes when a delicate Riyad Mahrez pass found Vardy before rounding the keeper for his second of the night.

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And just as City looked for a foothold back into the game in the second period, Vardy took full advantage of John Stones' horrendous error to score his first hat-trick since he was playing for Fleetwood in the Conference.

Aleksandar Kolarov grabbed a consolation with a trademark free-kick before Nolito turned in a low cross late on but Guardiola has much work ahead over the Christmas period.

FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS

• Leicester kicked off just two points off the bottom of the Premier League – but ended it looking just champion again.
• All five earlier Premier League games had seen the home side score three goals. Clearly the Foxes need a little bit of pressure to get fired-up – they hit that target in 20 jaw-dropping minutes!
• He’s famous for being The Tinkerman but Claudio Ranieri must be one of the few bosses around who has ever made TWENTY changes from one match to another. He made 10 alterations to his line-up in Porto and 10 again here!

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• Foxes skipper Wes Morgan won the teacher’s pet award after being the only man Claudio stuck with in both occasions.
• Pep Guardiola’s desire to play a high line is designed so City can aggressively press opponents in their half. But it also pressed the self-destruct button as speed-merchants Vardy, Mahrez and Slimani saw the acres of space behind John Stones and realised Christmas had come early.
• Leicester had a novel way of celebrating the start of the Festive season as kids played in a blanket of snow – after Leicester’s Thai owners hired a snow-machine! But it was visitors City who spent the evening in a Winter Blunderland.

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• Jamie Vardy has now scored against 21 of the 23 Premier League clubs he’s faced – City were one of three he hadn’t previously netted against. That sounds ominous for Hull City and Middlesbrough who are the remaining two clubs on the England striker’s hitlist.
• Claudio Ranieri finds out next month if can put the Fifa world coach of the Year award on his mantelpiece at home. If so he can place it beside Manchester City – the Italian has now won eight of his nine Premier tussles with the Citizens!
• Ref Mike Oliver sped around the park – perhaps helped by the trendy ‘go-faster,’ designer stripes he’d had clippered into the side of his head …. Pogba styley! You’d never have caught David Elleray up to that sort of malarkey – it’ll be tattooed body-art next!
• It was a bad day at the office all round for for Pep – he sipped water from a bottle, kicked a plastic wrapper around his technical area and by half-time looked as if he needed a BOX of headache tablets.

BIG PICTURE

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DREAM TEAM RATINGS

LEICESTER: Zieler 6, Simpson 6, Huth 7, Morgan 6, Fuchs 7, Mahrez 7 (James 92, 6), Amartey 6, King 7, Albrighton 7, Vardy 10 (Gray 88, 5) Slimani 8 (Okazaki 78, 5)

Subs not used: Hamer, Mendy, Chilwell, Musa

Booked: Okazaki, Simpson, Mahrez

Goals: Vardy (2, 20, 78) King (5)

MAN CITY: Bravo 6, Zabaleta 7, Sagna 7, Stones 5, Kolarov 8, Fernando 7, Navas 6 (Sterling 58, 6), De Bruyne 6, Gundogan 6 (Nolito 68, 7) Silva 6, Iheanacho 6 (Toure 58, 6)

Subs not used: Caballero, Adarabioyo, Clichy, Sane

Booked: Fernando

Goals: Kolarov (82) Nolito (90)

STAR MAN: Jamie Vardy