Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson was fortunate his side sealed a 3-1 win against Copenhagen in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last 16 tie. The Brazilian shot-stopper made a calamitous howler which gifted the hosts an equalizer on Tuesday (February 13) at Parken.
Pep Guardiola’s men were dominating proceedings and took a deserved lead through Kevin De Bruyne in the 10th minute. They looked likely to extend that lead only for Ederson to slip up in the 34th minute.
The 30-year-old played a terrible pass straight into the path of Copenhagen attacker Mohammed Elyounoussi. The Morrocan’s shot was blocked but debuting Danish midfielder Magnus Mattson pounced and smashed the ball past Ederson.
The Brazilian wore a face of guilt as he allowed Jacob Neestrup’s men back into the game. City eventually hit back through Bernardo Silva on the stroke of halftime, much to the relief of their shot-stopper.
The in-form Phil Foden finished Copenhagen off in the 90 1st minute. De Bruyne showed his class with a brilliant cutback to find the English attacker who buried the ball home.
Ederson’s only real contribution was that mistake as he wasn’t forced into a save on the night. He did find his man with four of six long ball attempts but his error is the talking point regarding his outing.
The Brazil international has been one of European football’s most highly-admired ball-playing goalkeepers for several years. He played a key role in Manchester City‘s treble triumph last season, keeping 19 clean sheets in 48 games across competitions.
The former Benfica goalkeeper has also been impressive this campaign. He’s managed 10 clean sheets in 30 games across competitions.
However, tonight’s error is one that he’ll quickly want to forget but rival fans certainly haven’t let him off the hook.
Manchester United fan Mark Goldbridge mocked Ederson:
“Ederson the best sweeper keeper in the league….he couldn’t sweep the leaves in the local park.”
Another fan suggested Guardiola may opt to replace the Manchester City shot-stopper:
“He’s so bad. I wouldn’t be surprised if they looked for a new GK.”
Here’s how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Ederson‘s calamity against Copenhagen:
Ederson hails Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne as ‘the King’ following his return from injury
De Bruyne was instrumental in sparing Ederson’s blushes tonight. The Belgian bagged his side’s opener with a fine low-driven finish after racing into Copenhagen’s box.
The 32-year-old took an uncharacteristically heavy touch in the build-up to Silva’s equalizer which went down as an assist. It was yet another stellar showing from the Belgium international who has flourished since returning from a long-term hamstring injury.
Ederson gave an interesting take on De Bruyne and his importance to Manchester City after his recovery from injury. He said (via City Xtra):
“It’s like chess – you have to protect the king! Now we have our ‘king’ back, one of the best assisters in (Premier League) history. We’re so happy to have him back and playing good football, especially after such a long time out.”
De Bruyne’s goal and two assists mean he sits on two goals and eight assists in nine games across competitions this season. He was the best assist-giver across Europe’s top five leagues last season with 31 in 49 games across competitions.
Thank You!