Kevin De Bruyne’s sublime second-half free-kick handed Manchester City a 1-0 win at Leicester City on Saturday as the Premier League champions went top of the table.

In a tightly fought contest at the King Power, City claimed all three points thanks to De Bruyne’s swerving 49th-minute free-kick that sailed up and over the Leicester wall from 25 yards out, before finding the back of the net off the inside of the post with Danny Ward helpless.

As a result, Pep Guardiola’s side made light of the absence of the Premier League’s top scorer, Erling Haaland, who had started every game this season following his summer move, scoring 22 goals.

With the victory, City moved a point clear of Arsenal at the top of the table before their home clash with Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

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Leicester, meanwhile, stay one place above the drop zone ahead of the rest of Saturday’s top-flight fixtures after seeing their three-match winning run at the King Power, during which time they had not conceded, come to an end.

Manchester City now have four consecutive home matches between now and the World Cup break.

The Premier League champions host Sevilla to end their Champions League group stage campaign on Wednesday night, before taking on three west London sides in a row at the Etihad Stadium.

City host Fulham in the Premier League on November 5, before taking on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup four days later. Brentford are the last visitors to City’s ground before the World Cup break.

Leicester City, on the other hand, face Everton next weekend.

Brendan Rodgers’ side then host Newport County in the third round of the Carabao Cup before ending this pre-World Cup stint of the Premier League with a trip to West Ham.

The Star