Manchester City got back to winning ways with a much-needed 3-1 win over Bournemouth, and while the likes of Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki will get most of the plaudits, Matheus Nunes was just as instrumental at the Etihad.
The inevitable Haaland was at the double, scoring two first-half goals to bring his tally for the season to 13 goals in 10 league games. It's just the norm for the Norwegian, who was joined on the scoresheet by Nico O'Reilly, who made it three-nil after Tyler Adams had initially equalised.
Cherki set up both Haaland's strikes and put in an impressive performance as the Cityzens moved up to second in the table. It was crucial that City kept Antoine Semenyo quiet, and Nunes did just that with a superb showing.
Man City 3-1 Bournemouth: Nunes is Proving Guardiola Right
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Nunes has grown into his right-back role, and he didn't give Semenyo a sniff on Sunday evening. The Portuguese took his time to shine under Pep Guardiola but he is proving an effective asset who can move into midfield.
The 27-year-old won seven of eight ground duels and completed both of his dribble attempts. Many of the league's best full-backs have failed to deal with Semenyo but that wasn't the case for the Portugal international.
Nunes particularly impressed defending Bournemouth on the break, using his energy to prevent the Cherries from advancing towards Gianluigi Donnarumma's goal. He has been a player reborn this season, and it bodes well for Guardiola, whose side looks likely to be Arsenal's closest rivals in the Premier League title race.
Guardiola's plan for Nunes is in full swing, having insisted earlier this year that the Portuguese has better traits to excel at right-back, including his "physicality". The Spanish tactician said (via BeanymanSports):
"He can become a good right-back for the physicality. I think he's not a player to play in the middle because he's not clever enough, in composure."
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While many took Guardiola's comments as a negative assessment at the time, it seems the Cityzens' boss had a clear idea of what he wanted from the former Sporting CP man. He'll be hoping his versatile full-back can carry such form into some important matches on the horizon.
City turn their focus to the Champions League on Wednesday (November 5) when they face German giants Borussia Dortmund. All eyes will then be on Liverpool's visit to the Etihad on Sunday (November 9) when Nunes could come up against Cody Gakpo, who is another of the league's most highly-regarded left-wingers.