Manuel Akanji has enjoyed a very successful period as a Manchester City player.
Signed during the 2022 summer transfer window for just £15m from Borussia Dortmund, Akanji has made 106 appearances for City across all competitions.
During his time at the Etihad Stadium, the defender has picked up six major domestic and European trophies.
Last month, Darren Bent named Akanji as one of City’s most important players and that he looks to be getting better every season.
Now in the middle of his third campaign at the Manchester club as part of Pep Guardiola’s side, the Switzerland international has pinpointed one particular match from the previous season that stands out to him as being especially memorable.
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Manuel Akanji picks standout Man City game from previous season
While answering numerous questions in a recent video shared on the official Man City YouTube channel, Akanji gave this response when asked what his favourite match from last season is.
He said: “I’d say Tottenham [away]. I think this was a really exciting game with ups and downs and the big save of Stefan [Ortega] in the end and then we won with a penalty in the end of Erling [Haaland.
“I think this was the most exciting game.”
What did Akanji say about Ortega’s crucial save against Spurs?
City secured a 2-0 victory against Ange Postecoglou’s side in their penultimate match of the campaign, which ended up being a key win in the title race.
During the match, Ortega made a vital one-on-one save against Son Heung-min after the Spurs attacker took the ball off Akanji.
A few days after this match, Akanji said this about Ortega’s save against Son and how the City goalkeeper got him out of trouble.
He said: “I was so nervous, and I was praying that the ball wouldn’t go in.
“Right after the game I went to Stefan and thanked him for the incredible save – and for saving me. He saved the game for us.
“I should have made an easy decision and kicked the ball away. I tried to play it and brought myself into a sticky situation and lost the ball.
“Stefan made a brilliant save and that’s why you’ve got teammates to help you out of situations. I’m really thankful for it. He made some huge saves for us – I know what he’s capable of.”
In addition to that, Jamie Carragher compared Ortega’s save to Vincent Kompany’s legendary goal against Leicester City in terms of how important it was for City and their title race.
Taking into account how vital the result against Spurs was for City and the number of incidents it had in the game, it’s easy to see why Akanji has named this as his standout match from last season.
