Manchester City booked their place in the FA Cup final again on Saturday, beating Chelsea 1-0 – and pundit Garth Crooks was left very impressed by one man in sky blue.
After the disappointment of losing in the Champions League to Real Madrid, City were back in action just a few days on, taking on the Blues in the FA Cup semi-final.
The decision for the game to be played on the Saturday was controversial and Pep Guardiola has had plenty to say. But the players came through and deserve great credit for the response.
It was Bernardo Silva who got the game’s only goal, as he tucked in at the back post in the second-half.
It was a hard-fought victory – and there will now be a repeat of last year’s final, with Manchester United edging past Coventry City on Sunday.
There were a few top performers against Chelsea, but Garth Crooks has given Manuel Akanji his flowers…
Garth Crooks brands Manuel Akanji ‘astounding’ as Manchester City beat Chelsea
City did ride their luck a couple of times against Chelsea on Saturday.
Thankfully for the defense, Blues striker Nicolas Jackson had a pretty torrid time in front of goal.
Cole Palmer is the biggest threat for Chelsea, but he was kept relatively quiet on the day, by a set of players who obviously know him very well indeed.
BBC pundit Garth Crooks has picked his Team of the Week after the weekend action, and there is an inclusion for City defender Manuel Akanji, who operated in the centre following returns for Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake.
Crooks said of the 28-year-old: “Akanji played with an authority and purpose, especially in the dying minutes of normal time, that was quite astounding. It was the Switzerland defender who played Doku in, which provided the opening for Silva to score the winning goal.
“What possessed the centre-back to find himself so far up the pitch in open play says everything about the mindset of a team that is programmed to win.”
What a player
After playing really well against Real Madrid, Akanji was in fine fettle again against Chelsea, and was the player with the most defensive actions for City with six (four clearances, one interception, one tackle, via Sofascore).
He was solid throughout and he also played a big part in the goal.
Akanji probably wasn’t quite at his usual high standards in the first half of the season but just recently, he has turned in some very good displays.
He continues to make an absolute mockery of his £15 million transfer fee, which is one of the best bargain deals the club have pulled off in recent memory.