Manchester City looked destined to stumble to a 0-0 draw with Leicester City on the penultimate match day to hand control of the Premier League title race back to Liverpool ahead of the final round of games next Sunday. Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers, formerly of Liverpool, set up the 2015-16 champions immaculately, highlighted by dominant performances from center defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
But step forward 33-year-old center back Vincent Kompany, who hadn’t scored in the Premier League this season after registering only one last campaign. And it wasn't a bad strike from a man whose groin and calves occasionally want to leave his body.
Despite the furor of hype in the buildup to this game and a rocking Etihad Stadium, City struggled to stamp its usual influence on proceedings in the opening half hour. However, in the 32nd minute — after a brilliant run by Bernardo Silva had earned his side a corner — City created the best chance of the first half when Sergio Aguero sent a header crashing against the underside of the crossbar.
From there the effort looked destined to find the back of the net, but Schmeichel did the impossible when clawing the effort off the line and away to safety.
By INCHES it's no goal.
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 6, 2019
Leicester’s threat on the break was made evident with tactical yellow cards handed out to David Silva and Kompany, but the onus was always on City to go and win the match. The intensity of the game proved too much for 18-year-old Phil Foden, who was hooked for Leroy Sane in the 57th, but City continued to send shot after shot — in anger — fizzing high and wide of Schmeichel’s goal.
James Maddison went close for Leicester after Harry Maguire went buccaneering on a run from defense that seemed more like a marathon, but then Schmeichel came up trumps for the Foxes in the 69th minute. Again, it was Aguero who forced the Dane into another excellent save.
But before you even had time to think that it just wasn’t City’s night and that Schmeichel was unbeatable, Kompany had the ball in the back of the net with a laser-guided effort from 30 yards out. And to think that many commentators wanted him to be replaced with John Stones after his booking earlier in the match...
Can you BELIEVE this moment? Vincent Kompany with an absolutely UNREAL goal from distance! #MCILEI pic.twitter.com/Vz8MbwiJ0a
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 6, 2019
Remarkably, Kompany’s strike could’ve been for not. In the 87th minute, Kelechi Iheanacho, formerly of Man City, missed a glorious opportunity at the top of the box with no one around him.
It all comes down to the final day. City travels to Brighton, Liverpool hosts Wolves.
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