Manchester City returned to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola’s side got the better of Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

The match also saw Rodri return to the Manchester City starting lineup after serving a domestic suspension.

Was it a coincidence that City picked up all three points in a Premier League game that saw Rodri get back into defensive midfield?

Probably not.

Against Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers, City badly missed Rodri.

The defensive midfielder for Spain pleased Sky Sports analyst Clinton Morrison greatly.

The former Crystal Palace attacker has mentioned how Rodri played a significant role in City’s victory over Brighton.

Morrison said about Rodri on Sky Sports News:

“Important to have Rodri back in this team.

“Everything goes through him.

“Puts out players, keeps it simple, keeps it moving. He has been outstanding in front of the back-four.”

Manchester City so much better with Rodri in it

I do not think that Rodri was at his very best for Manchester City against Brighton and Hove Albion.

The 27-year-old picked up a needless yellow card.

And, he also argued against it.

That could have caused further problems for him and for City.

Rodri did keep things ticking over for City and helped them get the better of the midfield bаttle.

The Spain international defensive midfielder was very good at retaining possession in tight spaces and was very intelligent with his passes.

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Against Brighton, Rodri had a pass accuracy of 93.2%, won one header, took 98 touches, attempted one dribble, and made two tackles, one interception and one clearance.