LONDON: Pep Guardiola will seek to solve a defensive crisis by signing Ruben Dias this week from Benfica for £55m. He is badly needed on the strength of a 5-2 home beating by a Leicester side who punished City’s defensive failings mercilessly.

Jamie Vardy softened them up with the second hat-trick of his career against Guardiola’s men. City paid a heavy price for the late start to the season after their Champions League duties in August.

This is the first time Man City have conceded five goals in a home game since February 2003 against Arsenal. It was also the first time Guardiola had seen his own side concede five goals in his 686th game as a manager.

It was the first time Leicester had won all their first three games in a top division season.

Vardy said: “We knew we wouldn’t have too much of the ball so we set up to infuriate them a bit and it worked an absolute treat. We knew we were always going to create changes and we put them all away. Happy days!”

Riyad Mahrez shot City ahead against his old club after only four minutes when Leicester failed to clear Kevin de Bruyne’s left-wing corner. Rodri then had a goal disallowed for offside before Vardy equalised from a 37th-minute penalty after being pulled back by Kyle Walker.

Eight minutes into the second half Vardy struck again, this time from close range after a neat interpassing movement tore City’s defence apart. Four more minutes and Vardy completed his hat-trick after being knocked over by Eric Garcia.

Substitute James Maddison struck a fourth in the 78th minute and was fouled for yet another penalty three minutes from time. Youri Tielemans took over from the substituted Vardy to score No5. Inbetween Nathan Ake had pulling one more goal back for City.

** Nuno Santos, Jose Mourinho’s goalkeeping coach, was shown a red card for protesting after a stoppage-time penalty brought Newcastle a 1-1 draw at Tottenham. Referee Peter Bankes had awarded a spotkick against Eric Dier after the ball struck the back of the defender’s arm.

Callum Williams’s penalty was Newcastle’s only on-target shot of the match. But Spurs had wasted chances to score many more than Lucas Moura’s first-half goal.

** Marcelo Bielsa’s promoted Leeds moved up to the edge of the European places with a 1:0 victory in their Yorkshire regional derby against Sheffield United. Patrick Bamford’s 88th-minute header dropped the Blades to the foot of the table. They have no points after three games.

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