The Bernardo principle, Alexis Sánchez and Manchester City’s great paradox | Barney Ronay

Alexis Sánchez might have been in Bernardo Silva’s place on Wednesday had things panned out differently but that would have gone against the tone and texture of Pep Guardiola’s team

Of the many telling facts, stats and scalding-hot takes to emerge from Wednesday night’s Manchester derby – a game that felt as if two clubs were passing briefly on airport travelators, waving curtly as they rolled off in opposite directions – perhaps the most poignant was the touch map of Alexis Sánchez.

Related: Dominant Manchester City show how vast the gulf has become with United | Jonathan Wilson

Alexis Sanchez came on for a total of 12 minutes tonight.

This is his touch map...#ManchesterDerby #MUNMCI pic.twitter.com/yHyyaunyQK

Related: Manchester City's derby delight, focus on Burnley and eggs – Football Weekly Extra

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