Man City goalkeeper Ederson has more PL assists than £82m forward Antony

The Citizens faced a tough match against Brentford at the Etihad this afternoon. The 1-1 stalemate was broken by none-other than Erling Haaland - who also netted the equaliser - giving Man City the lead with a goal that ended up sealing the win against the Bees. 

The Norwegian cyborg has his teammate to thank, though, as it was Ederson who provided the assist for the second goal. The Brazilian goalkeeper spotted the Haaland and sent a long ball across the pitch, handing the Man City number nine a one-on-one opportunity to put the ball past Brentford's Pinnock. 

With his latest assist, Ederson now counts 4 assists in the Premier League with City, an extraordinary number for a goalkeeper. And even more so if said number exceeds that of Manchester United's Antony. The Red Devils signed Antony from Ajax in 2022, splashing £82m in the process. Despite the obvious expectations that came with the price-tag, the Brazilian has only managed to provide 3 assists in his two years at Manchester United so far - one less than the Man City star. Two assists were registered in his first season at the club - against Wolves and Nottingham Forest - while the third came in his second season against Chelsea. 

While he had had 5 less years than Ederson in the Premier League, Antony is a forward who is not restricted to his team's penalty area for majority of his matches. The player has now entered his third season at the club, but continues to struggle, showcasing poor performances in the opening three matches. 

Ederson, on the other hand, has been in good form and continues to be a crucial element in Manchester City's successes. His previous three assists came in matches against Huddersfield Town (2018), Tottenham (2021) and Brighton (2022), though he also counts one assist  in the Champions League against Shalke in 2019, bringing up his total for the club to 5 assists.

 

September 15, 2024