United, who hosted City in the Manchester derby, unexpectedly defeated their opponent in a very easy way. The hosts scored two unanswered goals against City, while three more were disallowed due to an off-game situation. In short, 2:0 on the scoreboard and painful signals for City on the field.
Following the match, City fans harshly criticized the team on social media. But against the backdrop of general discontent, the attitude towards the two players was almost the same: goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and central defender Abdukodir Khusanov. Opinions about them as "the only bright point of the night" have increased.
In particular, the Uzbek footballer was one of the best in the unsuccessful derby. His growth is evident not only in this match but throughout the season - movement on the field, position selection, defensive composure, and confidence in ball management are proof of this.
Due to staff problems (injury of Yoshko Guardiol, John Stones, and Ruben Dias), Pep Guardiola dropped a time-tested tandem in central defense in the derby - 21-year-old Husanov and 20-year-old Max Alleyn. The English defender couldn't play the entire match and was substituted at halftime. Husanov remained on the field until the final whistle and was recognized as one of the most reliable players in the Manchester City squad after the match.
Abdukodir Khusanov's performance in the game is as follows:
- Passes (accuracy): 76/81 (94%)
- Picking the ball: 2
- Goal clearance: 9
- Head dribbling: 3
- Passing the ball: 3
- Retrieving the ball: 3
Notably, in most of these indicators, Khusanov achieved the best result as part of City. He didn't limit himself to cutting the ball and eliminating the danger - he was also very active with the ball:
- 98 touchdowns (only Rodri has more),
- 81 assists (2nd place among players of both teams),
- 94% accuracy - in this regard too, only Rodri was ahead of him.
Against this backdrop, Khusanov clearly stood out among the team's other defenders and, along with Donnarumma, became one of the most reliable players of the evening.
Following the match, City fans posted the following comments on social media:
Sadhorse:
If it weren't for Donnarumma and Husanov, the score would have been 5:0.
Drinkandrant:
Khusanov is our new Sergio Ramos. Special thanks to him.
ThiagollPo:
Khusanov and Jiji are the only good memories of this game. Allen and Lewis should be put on the transfer list, Haaland and Foden - on the bench.
Hamhamcfc:
A curse on both Foden and Rodry. Let Rico Lewis stay here too. Semeno, Ake, Doku, Bernardo - let them all go. A disgrace to Manchester City.
We fans love Donnarumma, and of course, you too, Khusanov.
JallenDs:
The minimum requirement is maximum effort. And we didn't win in single combat either. Today, Manchester United wanted to win more. Only the goalkeeper and Khusanov looked good, the rest - absolute disgrace.
The_lawyer:
This is the only thought after the game: Khusanov shouldn't be on the bench. We hope he will make a good pair with Mark Gexi.
There are many such comments: fans want Khusanov to join the squad more often because they are not satisfied with the performance of other players. Husanov has grown significantly over the past year, and this is evidenced not only by "support" but also by his work on the field.
Now the most interesting thing is ahead: if Guardiola is looking for a new "stable pair" in defense, Khusanov has already bought such a chance with his game. That's exactly the character and composure City needs right now.
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