BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks pointed to a moment he enjoyed between Manchester City players Fernandinho and Riyad Mahrez in the 3-1 win over Manchester United at the weekend.
City gained plaudits as usual for their superb football in the emphatic victory over United, but Crooks also singled out Fernandinho for praise in another all-action performance from the Brazilian.
A solid and dependable leader on the pitch for City, Fernandinho could be seen at one moment laying into his team-mate Mahrez for not doing enough tracking back during the game.
United threatened to get back into the game when Anthony Martial’s goal halved the deficit in the second half, and Fernandinho was so angry at Mahrez’s lack of defensive effort that Crooks claimed he saw him grab him by the scruff of the neck to put him in his place.
The pundit named Fernandinho in his team of the week on BBC Sport this week and mentioned that moment as one of his highlights from the Manchester Derby.
‘Regular readers of my Team of the Week will know how I adore Fernandinho,’ he wrote.
‘There cannot be a manager in the Premier League who would not want him in his side.
‘There was a priceless moment in the Manchester derby where Fernandinho grabbed Riyad Mahrez by the scruff of the neck (in a Dave Mackay-Billy Bremner fashion) because he was forced to run past Mahrez in order to make a tackle when United appeared to be getting back into the game.
‘Mahrez was substituted shortly afterwards, probably for his own safety.’