Liverpool had just won their first Premier League title in 30 years under Jurgen Klopp after Manchester City lost to Chelsea during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Etihad Stadium was empty as Pep Guardiola’s side, having won the past two league titles, congratulated the Merseyside club with a guard of honour. But one Manchester City player didn’t feel like taking part.
That was Bernardo Silva – the current City captain – who, at the time, stood waiting like a displeased child in a lesson they didn’t like at school; not clapping, nor looking interested or satisfied.
Sunday’s clash at Anfield was historic, as always seems the case when these two sides meet, yet it was a struggle for Manchester City, who could have created a cushion much sooner given their constant threat to Liverpool’s net in the first half.
Of course, Dominik Szoboszlai’s piece of brilliance from 35 yards after 74 minutes looked to have handed Arsenal the Premier League title 13 games early, but it was Bernardo Silva who made the difference in the end.
In the 84th minute, while 1-0 down, Silva got on the end of Erling Haaland’s header to kickstart the eventual comeback that was topped off by a penalty from the Norwegian striker which helped City complete their first league double over Liverpool since the 1936/37 season.
The victory didn’t come without chaos and when Rayan Cherki made it 1-3 from inside his own half with one of the last kicks of the game, Szoboszlai and Haaland pulled on each other’s shirts in the build-up resulting in the Liverpool man being sent off and Cherki’s goal disallowed.
About 15 minutes before the chaos unfolded, Guardiola was slumped in his chair in the dugout and looked dejected beyond belief, as if Arsenal were lifting the title in front of him. Silva however, had other plans, but it’s certainly not the first time he’s been an anchor for the club.
“He is one of the best players I have ever trained with. He is the perfect captain. It is a joy for me as a manager to have him. The team comes first. His contribution is massive and he is one of the legends of this club,” Guardiola said in his post-match press conference.
The importance of Bernardo Silva is sometimes undermined by the other eye-catching talent in Manchester City’s line-up – the likes of Cherki, Antoine Semenyo, Phil Foden, Savinho, Tijjani Reijnders, Haaland and Omar Marmoush are all world-class in the attack.
But what those players don’t possess is Bernardo Silva’s ability to play practically anywhere in the squad, which is perhaps why Pep Guardiola loves coaching him so much.
Silva, who turns 32 in August, can play on the right, false nine, box-to-box midfield, even a deep-lying number six when necessary, though Guardiola has opted for more of a physical presence in the centre – shown by the signing of Nico Gonzalez just over 12 months ago.
Against Liverpool, Bernardo Silva ran 12.9 kilometres and completed 87 per cent of his passes which isn’t foreign to his usual standards but his 74th goal in a Manchester City shirt was certainly his most important of late.
The Portugal international may be leaving at the end of the season when his current contract expires and the impact that his captaincy and leadership has on the side will be sorely missed, if the rumours are to meet the expectation.
Not only will Manchester City be losing one of their greatest players in the clubs history, they’ll also be losing the connective tissue of the Pep Guardiola era, the most historic period of time through the lens of supporters and associates.
Throughout his time in England since joining from AS Monaco in 2017, Bernardo Silva has won six Premier League titles, the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League – which coincided with an unprecedented Treble – and two FA Cup trophies amongst more.
Yet it will games like these that may crop up when looking back on the midfielder’s achievements, and in 13 games time could be the reason why City are lifting the Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola got the message across last month when he said, “I’d love for Manchester City, for myself, if Silva could to stay forever”.
