Kevin De Bruyne's long range free kick secured a 0-1 win for Manchester City against Leicester City in Saturday's early kick off.

The result saw Pep Guardiola's side go top of the league despite Arsenal having a game in hand on The Citizens, who were without Erling Haaland whilst he recovers from illness.

The hosts played well to make the task more difficult for City than it would have been had they played The Foxes at the King Power Stadium a month earlier.

Here are the main takeaways from the tie:

  • The Foxes have improved significantly on their start to the season

There is no doubt that Leicester are playing much better than they were when they went on a run of seven league matches without a win to start the campaign.

Brendan Rodgers' side began the season struggling to keep goals out, and were susceptible to conceding several goals a game, especially in their 6-2 loss to Tottenham in which Heung-Min Son scored a 13 minute hat-trick off the bench.

They started in a much more defensive setup against the current Premier League champions, which looked like a 5-4-1 formation.

Regardless of the system the hosts deployed, they managed to make life difficult for Guardiola's side, being disciplined at the back and fashioning openings after they went behind.

It took a superb free kick from range to beat them, and whilst the result leaves them in the relegation places, the performances have given the Midlands club far more reasons to be optimistic of late.

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  • Wout Faes is a vital addition to Leicester's defence

A key reason why The Foxes have been able to make such huge improvements at the back has been Faes.

Arriving from Reims in the summer for £15m the Belgian had the difficult task of stepping up to replace Wesley Fofana, who left the club to join Chelsea.

It is a task he has been filling relatively well despite Leicester's tough start to the season.

Faes has been well received by The Foxes' fans, who have only conceded two goals in his last six appearances.

His debut against Tottenham saw them concede as many in 90 minutes, proving how much he and the squad around him have improved in the short space of time he has been at the Midlands club.

On the day, Faes was a key part of keeping City at bay for the majority of the tie, and whilst they were defeated, Rodgers' side put up a far better fight than they had done at the start of the campaign.

The 24-year-old may prove an important component of Leicester's back line for the remainder of the season.

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It was a big game for the Argentine who signed for The Citizens in January before being loaned back to River Plate until the start of the current campaign. 

In truth, it would always have been a big ask for the 22-year-old to directly fill the shoes of the player who has blown the Premier League away so far this season.

However, it was not the afternoon Alvarez would have hoped for, struggling to have any real impact on the tie.

He missed a golden chance in the first half which was eventually flagged offside, but replays showed the £14m signing was onside and had he put the ball in the net it likely would have stood after a VAR review.

Alvarez will need to have a bigger impact on the games he plays in future if he is to impress Guardiola in his pursuit for a position in the starting lineup.

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  • City were able to perform in the face of adversity

It is not often that The Citizens find themselves struggling, particularly not since the arrival of their Norwegian star striker.

However, having failed to score against Borussia Dortmund in a goalless draw in midweek and without Haaland on Saturday's early kick off, it was always likely to be tough for City.

The two main occasions when the Manchester based club seem to struggle is when faced either in the Champions League or against top clubs such as Liverpool at Anfield earlier in the month.

Whilst Leicester away from home is not exactly the same challenge as that, the match did seem to provide a challenge for Guardiola and his players in context, especially with the game goalless at the break.

Despite having been marshaled expertly by The Foxes' defence for the majority of the game, a moment of magic from De Bruyne was enough to give City the win.

Whilst the free kick from range was an instance of individual brilliance as opposed to a team effort, the squad did manage to continue to create openings that led to the winner in the 49th minute.

Clean sheets will also be vital in the time that Haaland is away for, as City will likely be unable to score as many goals in his absence.

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