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Manchester City secured a vital 3-0 victory against a resilient Brentford side on Saturday, with Jeremy Doku once again playing a starring role. The Belgian winger has been in sensational form recently, directly contributing to City’s ongoing Premier League title challenge.
Doku opened the scoring against the Bees with a brilliant curled finish from the left flank, reminiscent of his late equalizer at Everton earlier in the week. The 23-year-old now has four goals in his last three appearances, including a double against Southampton and a crucial strike against Brentford to book City’s spot in the FA Cup final.
In fact, Doku has been involved in seven goals (five goals, two assists) over his last six games—matching his total from the previous 24 appearances. “If you want to become a better player, you have to win games for your team,” said manager Pep Guardiola. “It’s not enough to just deliver good crosses. You must score and decide matches. At Everton, his goal to make it 3-3 came with his right foot, but today’s goal was with his left. He has taken an incredible step forward with that mentality: ‘I’m Jeremy Doku, I’m going to win games.’ That’s what top players do.”
Doku himself noted: “I play on instinct. Right now it’s working out. I’ve always played instinctively, but now the goals are coming. I haven’t become a different player.”
With this win, Manchester City moved to within two points of league leaders Arsenal. The title race may well hinge on Doku maintaining this sparkling form and producing moments of magic to drag his side over the line.
For the first time in his City career, Doku has scored in three consecutive matches across all competitions. On Saturday, he tormented Brentford full-back Michael Kayode, twisting and turning him inside out throughout the game, and almost scored inside two minutes only to be denied by Caoimhin Kelleher.
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Pundits were united in their praise. Ashley Williams, former Wales international and Match of the Day analyst, said: “This is the best we’ve seen of Jeremy Doku. As a defender, I’m not sure how you stop him. He’s physically strong, can go left or right, his acceleration is incredible, and his deceleration can leave you flat-footed. Kayode, a player I rate highly, simply couldn’t handle him. Doku has been the best player in the Premier League over the last few weeks.”
Ex-City striker Daniel Sturridge added on Sky Sports: “He has been exceptional. That goal was a thing of beauty—a brilliant finish. It has become his trademark. The repetitions in training are paying off. His game is progressing, and he is becoming more decisive. Confidence is key for an attacker. Now he truly believes, ‘I can do this, I can score.’ ”
Doku’s performance saw him become only the third Premier League player this season (after Bukayo Saka and Elliot Anderson) to create six or more chances and complete six or more dribbles in a single game.
Brentford boss Keith Andrews acknowledged: “He is a top player. If it’s not Doku, someone else steps up. That’s the luxury Pep has—phenomenally talented players who can change games and decide results.”
