What Manuel Akanji did for Man City and why Pep Guardiola was angry as John Stones shows magic

Manchester City and Erling Haaland put their finishing woes from Saturday night behind them - or just about - as they closed the gap to Liverpool at the top of the table to just one point.

Even if it might only be for 24 hours, Pep Guardiola's men ensured that there wasn't to be a second boost of the week for Arsenal and the title rivals as City beat Brentford 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Once more frustrated for large periods at home, City found the breakthrough as Haaland found the net with his 14th effort in 160 minutes of football. His counter-attack goal secured a valuable three points for the champions as they moved up to second with each of the top three having played 25 games.

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It could have been more for City as they penned their visitors in for large periods but, unlike the draw with Chelsea and the reverse of this fixture last year, the territorial dominance was reflected in the final scoreline.

Here are some of the finer points from the Etihad Stadium ...

John Stones returned to the City lineup after remaining an unused substitute against Chelsea, and it didn't take long for him to show his quality. In what has been a stop-start season for the General, Stones slotted back into his usual hybrid role that is so important for Guardiola's men.

Perhaps his standout moment for the game was snuffing out all danger from an ambitious Mark Flekken kick aimed in-behind the City defence, but not just cutting out the pass, controlling it in style.

The 29-year-old appeared to levitate as he waited for the ball to cushion onto his chest, before allowing it to roll down onto his