Bernardo Silva is kind. Be like Bernardo.
Manchester City bounced back from a crushing away goals defeat to Tottenham on Wednesday with a 1-0 win in the third meeting between the two sides in the past 11 days.
You’d have been forgiven for thinking that after an early goal from Phil Foden, who nodded the ball home from point blank range after a delicate cross from Bernardo Silva and a knock down from Aguero, we would be in for a repeat of Wednesday’s seven goal thriller. Alas, it remained 1-0 and Foden’s goal was enough to earn City three crucial points in the final straight of the title race.
Bernardo Silva was the star of the show, showing the combination of guile and toughness that has allowed him to rise to the very top over the past few years. Every attack seemed to go through Bernardo, who gave Ben Davies nightmares down City’s right wing, and the Portuguese playmaker was consequently awarded the Man of the Match award after the game.
But Bernardo being Bernardo, refused. In his post-match interview with Sky Sports, he explained that he wanted to give it to Foden, who initially refused, smiling but embarrassed, like when a grandparent gives you £50 just to be nice, before thinking ‘actually yes, give it to me’ and accepting the kind gesture.
👏 – "This one is for you, you scored the winner!"
Bernardo Silva with a touch of class, even in his post-match interview…✨ pic.twitter.com/U6LJC1KyLR
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2019
Foden’s selection surprised a few people. With such high stakes, trusting the 19-year-old against such good opposition was a bold decision from Pep Guardiola but it paid off.
Leroy Sané was once again restricted to a coming off the bench but failed to make much of an impact against Juan Foyth and Davinson Sanchez on the right side of Tottenham’s back five.
Rumours that the German is pushing for a move away this summer due to a lack of game time – thanks to Bernardo Silva’s incredible form – now look like they actually carry some weight.
