Maddison’s masterly 10 minutes almost pulls off impossible at City | Richard Jolly

The forgotten man of England’s creatives hauled Leicester back into the game before Manchester City pulled away again

One touch took Aymeric Laporte out of the game, sending him sliding into no-man’s land. A second took James Maddison past Rúben Dias, last season’s Footballer of the Year, with conspicuous ease. Then came an exchange of passes with Kelechi Iheanacho and an assured finish. Then there was the weaving run that took him past a series of defenders before Iheanacho released Ademola Lookman to score Leicester’s second goal.

Then came his second long-range shot, whipped with menace, that Ederson tipped on to the bar. This one fell obligingly for Iheanacho to tap in the rebound. In 10 minutes, Maddison had conjured a comeback out of nothing. For nothing, too: Leicester’s three-goal salvo may have inspired Manchester City to score two more. But it was a virtuoso display of quality, showcasing a flair player’s full armoury: shooting from distance, mesmeric dribbling, delicate touches and incisive passes.