Man City 3-0 Brentford (Doku 60′, Haaland 75′, Marmoush 90+2)
ETIHAD — “I feel like if I have goals we are talking about a different conversation.” It is time to have that chat.
Since Jeremy Doku insisted in mid-April that once he starts scoring more, we have to consider him in the same bracket as the Vinicius Jrs of this world, the flying winger has taken his game to new heights.
Without Doku, it is not churlish to suggest this title race would be done. His stunning strike in the dying embers of a brutal clash with Everton on Monday was worthy of being the difference between title winners and nearly men.
His fourth goal in five was only one notch down on the spectacular scale, but its meaning ramped up to the maximum, inspiring Manchester City to a crucial three points over Brentford.
In a season where brutish giants have been the order of the day, it is still refreshing to know that a Jeremy Doku-type trickster can still have such potentially season-defining moments.
City needed something, anything. In a drab first half at the Etihad, where anything other than victory would have left Arsenal with the easiest of rides to a first title in 22 years, the hosts looked like nerves had got the better of them.
Erling Haaland missed a gilt-edged header and another from close range, but Brentford, chasing their European dreams themselves, had their moments – Igor Thiago remaining a threat throughout the opening period.
Nothing was coming off. Bernardo Silva almost lost his rag. Matheus Nunes was perhaps fortunate to escape further punishment for two fouls that, on another day, could have got him in big trouble.
The only player who remained a constant beacon of hope was the man with a life-affirming point to prove. Brentford created three openings all match – Doku managed six alone, becoming just the third player to record six or more chances and complete six or more dribbles in a Premier League game this season.
Like Arjen Robben made his forte down the years, you knew what Doku was going to do on the hour mark, but Brentford – like Everton before them – were powerless to stop the Belgian slipping inside before arrowing a strike into the top corner.
The strike again took an extraordinary trajectory, flying through the air like a homing missile. In games with so much riding on them, such moments of standout quality are rare. It was anything but an outlier, however. All three of Doku’s goals this week have either put City one goal in the lead or drawn them level.
Haaland’s scrappy finish and Omar Marmoush made sure of the victory, but Doku has already done the damage.
“He has always had the ability with the ball, the dribbles, but the last pass, the finish, has come this season,” Guardiola said.
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“I said if you want to become a better player, you have to win games for yourself. The big players have to have this mentality. He has to say ‘I am Jeremy Doku, I can win games on my own.”
The past few weeks Doku has taken things to a whole new level. The quality of goals is one thing, but to step up and drag a team full of faltering megastars over the line twice in a week is a greater indicator of how he can be judged in comparison to his peers.
At the moment, on these shores at least, there is nobody at his level. And what a time to get there.