Bernardo.
Stealth Assasin. The song “He’s here, he’s there, he’s every fucking where” was made for him.
He covered every blade twice and was, at times, instrumental in picking the ball up as the last man, then nicking the ball for the 3rd goal by pressing like a man possessed!
We rarely “see” a 9/10 performance from him, because he is so stealthy, as he moves through the lines and across the pitch, but last night was one…even though he didn’t get on the score sheet.
Phil was obviously the easy choice, but I thought he was wasteful at times, and lost the ball for quick counters a few times, even though his first time pass into the bottom corner was a thing of beauty and settled the game.
Kev’s header was also a thing of beauty, but I’m honestly not sure if he knew what he was doing or he just stuck out his head and it managed to look like a worldie!
Akanji was, once again, full of speed and control at the back, and his pairing with Ake just feels symbiotic.
Others of note were Kovacic, who has become a bit of a Steady Eddie when asked to slot in alongside Rodri, and did a nice job covering his position when Rodri got a breather. In addition, Alvarez was lively, if a tad wasteful, along the front line.
Excellent, assured, Champion-like performance all around.
