2 hours ago
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Manchester City could have played without a goalkeeper for the first 48 minutes at Brentford and still found themselves in the lead, such was their dominance in west London.
For the first time in their 159 Premier League fixtures, Brentford failed to register a touch of the ball in the opposition penalty area in the first half of the game. City suffocated the contest and wondered how they weren't further ahead.
But in the modern Premier League, it is almost impossible for a game to go by without both teams having a big moment or two, and Brentford's arrived early in the second half. A spectator so far, suddenly Gianluigi Donnarumma had to be at his best, and he was.
His sheer presence in goal seemed to unnerve Igor Thiago and the Italian goalkeeper stayed big as Brentford's No. 9 raced through on goal and Donnarumma made the vital save. It proved to be a match-winning moment.
Pep Guardiola made the point afterwards that that is often the life for a goalkeeper at an elite-level club. You can do nothing for 89 minutes, but then be required to make one big save or one big catch to win your team a game. In many ways, it requires a different skillset from a goalkeeper being kept busy at the other end of the table.
Donnarumma has plenty of experience of it. If you think City dominate games in the Premier League, then it is another level entirely for Paris St-Germain in Ligue 1. Last season the 26-year-old had 11 games where the opposition managed less than two shots on target and failed to beat the goalkeeper.
"This guy starts to play at the highest level at 17 with the national team. When they told me he’s 26, it’s like he’s had centuries playing football," Guardiola said on Sunday.
"His composure, his presence, the keepers in the big clubs have to say few chances. In the big clubs when you play good you don’t concede much, so this action he has to save it and he did it today.
"We make a mistake, it was one against one. What he gives to the team with corners, long balls, throw-ins, having him there, we rely on him, it’s ‘ok, Gigio is there, go up and win the ball’. That helps us a lot."
Donnarumma's presence around his six-yard box in an era of set-pieces and long throws in the Premier League has already been remarked upon, but that big club experience of keeping your concentration for a full 90 minutes could also prove invaluable.
In his three clean sheets for the Blues so far, he has had two saves to make against Manchester United and then one each against Napoli and Brentford. That can sometimes be harder than having to make save after save, as it is difficult to get into a rhythm and get a feel for the game.
If City continue to play as they are, there will be many more games where Donnarumma has very little to do. However, you can almost guarantee there will still be one key moment that he needs to influence, and on this evidence, he is ready for that challenge.
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