Silva lining for Manchester City as David returns to replace injured De Bruyne

David Silva made his timely return to the Manchester City starting line-up as he replaced the injured Kevin De Bruyne for the Premier League thrashing of Huddersfield.

The former Spain international marked his 250th league appearance for the champions with an influential display which offset the absence of his team-mate, including scoring a tremendous free-kick.

Here, Press Association Sport takes a closer look at Silva’s display in the 6-1 victory.

Reception

Silva walked out for the pre-match amble at the Etihad Stadium carrying his son Mateo. The playmaker missed a string of games over the Christmas period after Mateo arrived extremely premature and spent five months in a Spanish hospital. The Manchester City supporters heartily cheered when Silva’s name was announced before kick-off – and even more so when he was substituted just after the hour.

Teamwork

Goal threat

Fired in a half-volley just after the half-hour mark but it was blocked. His 49th goal for City came in style as he curled a superb free-kick past Ben Hamer at the start of the second half. It was, in fact, Silva’s first Manchester City goal to come from a direct free-kick, a set-piece he probably would not have taken had De Bruyne been involved.

Overall