Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola picked playmaker Bernardo Silva as one of his top performers in Thursday’s 2-1 win over Liverpool after he covered the greatest distance in a Premier League match this season.
City fired back to within four points of the league-leading Reds after Leroy Sane’s 72nd-minute winner at the Etihad Stadium, where Silva played a key role in central midfield, per OptaJoe.
Guardiola said in his post-match remarks just how impressed he was with the diminutive maestro, particularly against a defensive force like Virgil van Dijk, the world’s most expensive defender.
“Bernardo Silva did everything. He is the smallest one but shows us that to play football you don’t have to be taller or more physical.
“He is incredible. I haven’t seen performance like that in a while. It was clean and clever. Against Van Dijk he was comfortable.”
Sergio Aguero opened the scoring with a strike from a narrow angle five minutes before half-time, for which Silva provided the assist.
The Portuguese has played almost exclusively as an attacking midfielder or wide man for previous clubs Benfica and AS Monaco; Guardiola has successfully fashioned him into a more central star during Kevin De Bruyne’s injury troubles this term.
Football writer Liam Twomey joined the City manager in praising Silva and was especially in awe of his work off the ball: