Man City boosts EPL lead in nine-goal epic

Manchester City isn't abbreviated of goals successful the rubric defence, and the champions recovered a mode to marque it unintentionally adjacent much entertaining against Leicester.

A 6-3 triumph — featuring a treble from Raheem Sterling — enactment City six points successful beforehand astatine the apical of the Premier League astatine the halfway constituent connected Sunday, with second-place Liverpool having a crippled successful hand.

It was a compelling 2nd fractional connected Boxing Day conscionable erstwhile it looked similar Leicester was wholly retired of show aft City had scored 4 times successful the opening 25 minutes.

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Three goals successful 10 second-half minutes offered Leicester a glimmer of anticipation of a comeback that was snuffed retired by Aymeric Laporte's header and Sterling's second.

Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte celebrates scoring his side's 5th extremity (Getty)

It secured a ninth successive triumph for Pep Guardiola's side, with the past 3 seeing 17 goals scored by City.

And portion rubric rivals Chelsea and Liverpool are engaged with two-legged League Cup semifinals astatine the commencement of January, the extremity of City's defence of that rubric does springiness immoderate betterment clip aft the packed Christmas and New Year schedule.

Meanwhile, Leeds and Wolverhampton person secured Premier League support for further matches to beryllium postponed owed to coronavirus outbreaks successful squads.

Leeds' location crippled against Aston Villa connected Tuesday has been called off, having already had Sunday's lucifer astatine Liverpool postponed.

Wolverhampton besides won't present play astatine Arsenal connected Tuesday, with Wolverhampton having already been prevented from hosting Watford connected Sunday owed to a deficiency of Watford players.

The Premier League has present called disconnected 15 matches due to the fact that of coronavirus issues successful 2 1/2 weeks, with players having to isolate aft investigating affirmative oregon if they are unvaccinated and a adjacent interaction of a COVID-19 case.

But Crystal Palace had its petition rejected for Sunday's crippled astatine Tottenham to beryllium postponed. The league volition person considered that Palace had capable players to fulfill the fixture which the southbound London nine mislaid 3-0.

Palace was without manager Patrick Vieira who has started self-isolating for astatine slightest a week aft contracting COVID-19.

The crippled astatine Tottenham is 1 of six Premier League fixtures connected the Boxing Day program. Aston Villa announced Saturday that manager Steven Gerrard had tested affirmative for the coronavirus truthful helium was absent from the crippled against Chelsea.

Three matches were postponed owed to coronavirus infections crossed squads: Burnley vs. Everton, Liverpool vs. Leeds and Wolverhampton vs. Watford.

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