Manchester City beat Bournemouth 1-0 on Saturday night – and Gary Lineker and Micah Richards both lavished praise on John Stones after the game.
City kept their great recent run going by edging the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium.
It was a resolute performance from Andoni Iraola’s side, but ultimately City’s quality told and it was that man Phil Foden again coming in clutch for City.
The England international was on hand to follow in after Erling Haaland’s initial shot was saved in the first-half.
The gap is back down to just one point, and the title race is incredibly tight.
Many feel that City having their top stars back could prove to be the difference – and certainly, the fitness and form of the brilliant John Stones is likely to be very significant for Pep Guardiola…
Gary Lineker and Micah Richards hail John Stones after Manchester City’s win over Bournemouth
It was only another 1-0 scoreline, but it was a fairly dominant performance from City, who showed good control at the Vitality Stadium.
City always tend to have much better control of games when Stones plays, with the 29-year-old just so good on the ball and so intelligent with the positions he picks up pushing out of defence and into midfield.
On Saturday, he spent more time in attacking midfield positions and his showing blew Lineker and Richards away on Match of the Day.
Richards said: “John Stones, his position, he’s playing centre-back! But look at the positions he’s taking up! He’s not just in there to be a decoy. He gets on the ball and he plays it, checks his shoulder, give and he wants to go. The only thing he didn’t get today was a goal or assist, but his all-round game was magnificent.
“We’ve seen him step into holes in midfield, but his position was just mesmerising _ I love the way he draws people in.”
Lineker added: “I was absolutely mesmerised by the performance of John Stones, I thought it was extraordinary for a central defender.”
Stones so important for City
Performances like this from Stones are always a treat, and Saturday was a real reminder of how much better City are when he plays.
He has had a frustrating season with injuries, and City fans have spoken about the absences of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Rodri. Guardiola actually admitted after the game that Stones is still not 100% fit.
But Stones being missing is every bit as significant, because no one else can really do what he does in terms of providing that control.
Keeping him fit will be so key, as City go in hunt of another Treble.