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23rd Oct 2016

John Stones is the new Man City scapegoat after error gifts Southampton goal

This is the last thing he needed.

Tom Victor

Claudio Bravo may have mixed feelings about Southampton’s opening goal against Manchester City.

Sure, he’ll wish he’d been able to deny Nathan Redmond, but in the back of his mind the Chilean may know there’s another fall guy to take the heat off him a little.

That fall guy is John Stones, whose short backpass was intercepted by Redmond. The former Norwich man ran in on goal, rounded Bravo and tucked the ball into the empty net.

City have been hindered greatly by individual errors of late, with Bravo’s poor clearance and subsequent red card at Camp Nou making Barcelona’s Champions League victory a foregone conclusion.

And Stones’ slip-up was the last thing Pep Guardiola’s team will have needed at home to a Saints team with a formidable away defensive record of late.

The England defender did almost make amends soon after, but saw a goal of his own disallowed for an offside flag against teammate Sergio Agüero.

And as half-time drew closer, Stones came in for the bulk of the criticism.

https://twitter.com/BigSportGB/status/790177406472556544

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