Paul Dickov was full of praise for one Manchester City player after his side’s 4-0 hammering of Brighton & Hove Albion.
With Phil Foden scoring a brace on Thursday night, it was not a surprise to see Alan Smith name him as his Man of the Match.
Foden’s display was a sight to behold, as he reached 16 goals in the Premier League this season.
However, there were plenty of other excellent performers for City on the night apart from their silky number 47.
For instance, Kevin De Bruyne showcased his class in a Manchester City shirt once again after the visitors defeated Brighton.
The Belgian captain opened the scoring with a “Robin van Persie-style diving header”, as described by Jamie Redknapp.
Dickov hails one Man City player in 4-0 victory against Brighton
Kevin De Bruyne wreaked havoc in the middle of the park, spraying wonderful passes, playing sublime one-twos with his teammates and picking up intelligent positions against Brighton.
Kyle Walker was another Manchester City player who covered himself in glory.
The City skipper registered two assists against De Zerbi’s side.
Initially, for De Bruyne, with an inch-perfect cross that was lofted into his path.
For the fourth goal, Kyle Walker beat Valentin Barco and got enough contact on the ball to give Julian Alvarez the chance to score a tap-in.
However, another defender impressed against the Seagulls.
And that was Manchester City centre-back Manuel Akanji, whose display against Brighton and his general quality was raved about by Paul Dickov.
“He’s just a Rolls-Royce of a player, isn’t he? Nothing flusters him. Defensively, he’s fantastic, one on one”, he said on Manchester City’s official full-time show [via YouTube].
Dickov continued, “He’s super quick. There’s not many people who are going to run in behind him and he just brings a calmness about when he plays whether it’s that right-back or left-back, he’s played everywhere across the back four, he’s played that position, moving into midfield.”
“£15 million, was it? Absolute steal.”
“I love watching him, he’s a top, top, top defender.”
Manuel Akanji was exceptional
It is nice to see Paul Dickov praise Manuel Akanji as his performance might for Manchester City might go unnoticed on a night when his side scored goals galore against Brighton.
However, with Kyle Walker playing in an advanced position, the Swiss international often had to defend in areas where the former usually does.
Akanji did so with ease, using his pace and strength to full effect.
On the ball, the number of times the former Borussia Dortmund centre-back broke the lines with ease also caught the eye.
There is no question that Manuel Akanji was up there with some of his Manchester City teammates as one of the best performers against Brighton and Paul Dickov needs no reminding of that.
An understated, yet exceptional display if focused upon adequately.
