Analysis: Pinnock tops 'staggering' statistic in Manchester City defeat | OneFootball

Brentford's performance in their epic 2-1 victory over Manchester City two years ago was almost pitch-perfect - but Thomas Frank was adamant that his side’s most recent display at the Etihad Stadium topped it, despite the reversed scoreline.

Yoane Wissa gave the west Londoners the lead inside the very first minute to stun the Premier League champions, and Brentford could have extended their lead during a stunning opening salvo that saw Bryan Mbeumo twice go close and Nathan Collins draw an instinctive save from Ederson from a corner.

The fly in the Bees' ointment was, perhaps predictably, a Norwegian goal machine. After 19 minutes, Erling Haaland flashed home a right-footed strike with the help of a slight deflection, and the rangy striker took his tally to nine Premier League goals in four games when he bumped Ethan Pinnock off the ball and dinked expertly past Mark Flekken after a long ball forward from Ederson.

The second period saw City find more of a foothold in the game, but Brentford still had their chances - Keane Lewis-Potter was unable to find Kevin Schade midway through the half after a piercing counter-attack had cut City to ribbons down the Bees' left.

Frank later spoke of his frustration at the result, but could not hide pride at his team's display: "The performance today was much, much better than two years ago.

"The first 25 minutes we were close to world class… not many teams come here and have more possession, shots on target, xG."

Wissa has started the season in electric form and his close-range header took his tally to three Premier League goals this season - and 11 in the top flight since he returned from the Africa Cup of Nations in February. A Mateo Kovačić tackle unfortunately ended Wissa's involvement before the break and the Bees will now hope for a positive prognosis from their medical team.

Perhaps the most eye-catching stat from the game related to Brentford's passing numbers. As Frank referenced in his post-match comments, the Bees were excellent in possession, particularly in the first half, and Ethan Pinnock (68) finished the game with more accurate passes than ANY player on the pitch.

Given Brentford were taking on a Pep Guardiola team famed for their quality in possession, Pinnock topping the passing charts is quite a staggering statistic.

To put this in perspective, over the past two seasons, in all competitions, only one other team has finished a clash against the English champions with the game's top passer in their ranks, rather than City's.

Ange Postecoglu's Tottenham are the only other team to manage it: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (76) and Emerson Royal (80) clocked up the most passes on the pitch in Spurs' respective home and away league games against City last season.

Although Haaland cannily knocked the centre-back off the ball for his second goal, Pinnock recorded some outstanding numbers: the centre-back also finished the contest with six tackles won, five clearances made, and a 94 per cent pass completion rate.

Pinnock certainly wasn't alone, however, when it came to posting impressive numbers: Nathan Collins blocked more shots (three) than any player on the pitch, Bryan Mbeumo swung in the most accurate crosses (three), and Mark Flekken, in customary fashion, completed more accurate long balls (17).

In truth, though, every Brentford player could be highlighted to some degree given the quality of the Bees' collective display and as defender Collins remarked afterwards: "This has to be the standard for the rest of the season."