Manchester City player John Stones received applause from manager Pep Guardiola and fans after the defender shone in an unfamiliar position in the 4-1 demolition of Liverpool.
The 28-year-old England international played a key role as Guardiola's side came back to beat Jurgen Klopp's men at the Etihad on Saturday.
Despite the absence of talented striker Erling Haaland, who was sidelined by injury, Man City played passionately in front of the home crowd to cause more misery for Klopp and his teammates. in a disappointing season for the Reds.
Mo Salah put the visitors ahead after a sweeping move in the 17th minute but the home side counter-attacked ten minutes later thanks to Julian Alvarez. Kevin De Bruyne then put City ahead when he picked up Riyad Mahrez's precise cross before a smooth pass from Guardiola's side led to a powerful Ilkay Gundogan finish.
Impressive Jack Grealish then completed the game with 15 minutes left when he headed home from De Bruyne's cross.
But it was the contribution of Stones, who switched to playing in a defensive midfield next to Rodri to which Klopp simply had no answer, that got many fans talking after the final whistle.
Stones never looked out of place as he sat in front of City's defence, and was particularly praised for his role in City's third goal.
Appearing in the small gaps between Liverpool's midfield and forwards, breaking lines with forward runs and precise crosses down the pitch, Stones looked comfortable in the midfield. . So much so that many fans took to social media to express their joy at seeing Stones pulling the strings in the center of Guardiola's engine room.
One Twitter user posted:
"John Stones played his role today perfectly."
Another added: “The man seems to have grown up with the role.
The third said:
"The rock is just mesmerizing to see!" »
While the fourth person simply writes:
"It's Pirlo."
Stones' performance also drew admiration from his manager, with Guardiola adding:
"It's not easy for him, he has the quality to play there, it's different when you watch the game in front of you, surrounded by his players.
"Like a bubble, playing there isn't easy. He's got a lot of personality, along with Rodri and Ruben [Dias] and Nathan [Ake] helping a lot. He played really well. »
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