Watching Bernardo Silva play is an absolute delight when he’s in top form.
Although he has been in and out of Manchester City’s team this season, this is mostly due to the abundance of talent available to Pep Guardiola.
However, when it comes to the most important matches, Guardiola almost always relies on one of his most dependable players.
This was certainly the case for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Bayern Munich on Tuesday evening, where Silva was included in the starting lineup.
And the selection of Silva proved to be an inspired one, the 28-year-old scoring in a priceless 3-0 victory for the Citizens.
Silva’s second-half goal vs Bayern
VIDEO: Bernardo Silva makes it 2-0 for #ManCity. pic.twitter.com/BhEyJfmlRs
— City Report (@cityreport_) April 11, 2023
That was a decent finish, and credit must be given to the goal machine Erling Braut Haaland, who also found the back of the net and did some great work in the match.
During the intense 90 minutes of play in Manchester, Silva was positioned on the right-hand side of the City’s attack and posed a constant threat to the opposition.
Despite being faced with the much quicker and stronger Alphonso Davies of Bayern, Silva gave him a torrid time using his quick feet and impressive dribbling ability, leaving Davies struggling to keep up.
In the second half, Silva had both Davies and Leon Goretzka completely under his control, showcasing multiple nutmegs and nearly creating a goal out of nothing with his exceptional skills.
Check out footage of the rather insane dribble, which is worthy of Lionel Messi in his absolute prime…
Silva’s insane dribble vs Bayern
Stop that, Bernardo Silva!! 🔥🔥 #ChampionsLeague
— Reyi (@Reinaldodcg9) April 11, 2023
Bernardo Silva hit 3 consecutive nutmegs against Bayern Munich 🫣#UCL pic.twitter.com/FCpU7PJ1jC
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 11, 2023
Bernardo Silva’s exceptional skills almost led to a goal for City, and had they been successful, we would be talking about one of the all-time great Champions League assists.
Nonetheless, what we are discussing now is one of the most impressive performances by City on the European stage.
Thomas Tuchel’s Bundesliga leaders struggled to keep up with City’s intensity, particularly in the second half.
Even Centre-back Dayot Upamecano had a poor game, which only added to Bayern’s troubles in a hostile atmosphere.
So unless there is a miracle in Bavaria, it seems that City will progress to the 2022/23 Champions League semi-finals. However, when it comes to Bayern, one should never rule out a comeback.