For 64 minutes of Manchester City’s 7-0 shellacking of Leipzig John Stones was the defender-midfielder pivot of Pep Guardiola’s prophecy. Taken off at this juncture on Tuesday night to a rapturous reception from the Etihad Stadium faithful, Stones had returned the type of masterclass his manager identified he could offer when he made him his No 1 transfer target before taking over City in summer 2016.
Marco Rose’s visitors were overrun all evening. Erling Haaland hogged the headlines with his five-goal blitz, Kevin De Bruyne was a constant creative menace and Stones performed as a quasi-second Rodri, smoothly linking defence and attack as if operating in the mode for as a long as the Spaniard.
