Taylor shows no fear of heights

Leicester City, a byword for extracting the maximum from their resources, are taking the talent almost to an art form. They have managed only 10 goals in the Premiership this season but the yield, 22 points and third place in the Premiership, would have time-and-motion men purring. It is just the rest of us who find the spectacle less than edifying.

Leicester City, a byword for extracting the maximum from their resources, are taking the talent almost to an art form. They have managed only 10 goals in the Premiership this season but the yield, 22 points and third place in the Premiership, would have time-and-motion men purring. It is just the rest of us who find the spectacle less than edifying.

Such is the rugged dependability of their defence, Leicester frequently need just one strike to steal away with victory and yesterday it was Robbie Savage who applied the cracksman's craft to take the booty. It was his first goal of the season and to make it even more galling for the home side it was scored by a player who started his professional life at Old Trafford.

Manchester City had most of the possession but spent the afternoon banging their heads against an obdurate wall of defenders and the impression was that Joe Royle's team could have played until Christmas and still not managed to score.

"It was a typical Leicester performance," said Royle, the Manchester City manager. "They defend deep and make it very, very hard. I warned the players to take care at corners and free-kicks where they get 90 per cent of their goals and I could see Savage on his own but the players couldn't. We made one mistake."

The match, to put it mildly, was a disappointment. There are many things to admire about Leicester - their energy and work-rate to name just two - but when they do apply the tourniquet on opponents the entertainment factor can be hard to trace. Yesterday it was almost negligible.

Manchester City's team did not inspire hope, Royle naming six players who have played at centre-back at some point in their careers in his line-up, and the preconceptions were justified by a first half that could have been used as a promotional video for the attractions of Saturday afternoon shopping.

With just two corners and one shot on target, the first 45 minutes were as untidy as a leaf-strewn lawn and comprised a succession of cameos whereby defenders would bring the ball from deep only to surrender possession with the poverty of their passing.

As a consequence the only save a goalkeeper had to make came from Manchester City's Paul Dickov after 10 minutes. Alf-Inge Haaland won a challenge with Muzzy Izzet and the ball rebounded to the newly capped Scotland striker whose shot, from 12 yards, was true but too tame and the Leicester goalkeeper Tim Flowers gathered easily.

Leicester's only moment of inspiration in a first half of toil and little imagination came with a 14th-minute free-kick when the Northern Ireland international Neil Lennon slipped a clever pass to the side of the defensive wall that almost earned Savage space for shot. Like so much in the match the move came to nothing.

It had to get better after the interval and, to give credit, it did, Leicester's captain Matt Elliott rising at the near post in the 49th minute to glance Callum Davidson's corner, a header that was denied only by the reflexes of Nicky Weaver who tipped it round the post.

There was a distinct mood change in Leicester's favour and, after 55 minutes, they made their decisive strike. Again the creativity stemmed from a free-kick and the same leading characters were involved, Lennon rolling a free-kick from 30 yards out to Savage on the edge of the area. The Welsh international midfielder's first effort, with his right foot, was blocked but rebounded back to him and he placed his second shot into the corner with his left.