Aymeric Laporte's incredible Everton display explains Man City dilemma facing Pep Guardiola

Manchester City have not been at their dazzling best in recent weeks, a reality that has seen Liverpool slash the seemingly unassailable lead the reigning Premier League champions had established at the top of the table.

A few factors have played a part in this, one of them being the defence. City's back four play as big a role in the team's attacking build-up play as they do traditional defending, yet in both areas they've been sub-par in recent matches.

A defensive disasterclass in the 2-3 defeat to Tottenham prompted calls for Pep Guardiola to reinstate John Stones in his side, with many arguing that Aymeric Laporte should be the man to drop out.

However, the Spain international retained his spot in the starting XI for the trip to Everton on Saturday. His performance showed that if Guardiola does decide to make any defensive shakeups during the title run-in, then it won't be his head on the chopping block.

Against an Everton side who pressed City and looked to counter at every opportunity, Laporte was typically assured in a traditional defensive sense.

The number 14 won six of the eight duels he contested, two out of three tackles, won both of his aerial duels and recovered possession on five occasions.

It was with the ball at his feet though that Laporte really impressed. The 27-year-old completed all 110 of his passes, the biggest 100% completion rate in a Premier League game since Opta began collecting such data in 2003.

That is a remarkable achievement considering the effectiveness of Everton's pressing on Saturday, especially when you consider that 57 of those 110 passes were made in the opposition half and five were long balls. These were not just safe passes exchanged with centre-back partner Ruben Dias.

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