The Etihad's capacity is 55,097 but traffic problems have been blamed

But questions have been asked about why there were still empty seats

The crucial Premier League match saw a record attendance of 54,963

Manchester City's defeat by Leicester on Saturday was watched by a record attendance at the Etihad Stadium but questions have been asked after empty seats appeared to still be on display.

It was announced that a near-capacity crowd of 54,693 turned up to see City lose 3-1 as Leicester moved six points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League.

Yet spare seats were still visible during the potential title decider with traffic issues being blamed.

Questions have been asked about empty seats still being visible at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday

Manchester City managed a record attendance at the Etihad Stadium for the potential title decider

Robert Huth pictured scoring Leicester's opener during the 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday

Serious delays on the M6 caused problems before this showdown between the clubs sitting first and second in the Premier League.

Before the lunchtime kick-off, Leicester's official account tweeted: 'Any LCFC fans heading to Etihad Stadium today should be aware that the M6 northbound is currently shut between J17 & J18.'

It was in August when City were finally been able to unveil their new and improved South Stand, which saw the Etihad's 47,000 capacity expanded by 7,750 seats.

The new tier included a roof, corporate suites and added seating, as they looked to match some of the biggest stadiums in the Premier League.

The expansions are not to stop there, however, with City having been granted planning approval to do similar work on the North Stand and take the capacity above 60,000.