Kalvin Phillips has been full of praise for Manchester City's back-up goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, following his Man of the match performance on Wednesday night against Chelsea.
The Premier League champions secured their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a hard-fought win over Graham Potter’s side.
Across the course of the match, Manchester City were largely the better of the two teams, however Stefan Ortega was called into action on a number of occasions, making several crucial saves.
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Riyad Mahrez broke the deadlock in the second-half, firing home a beautifully struck direct free-kick.
But it was the efforts of back-up goalkeeper Stefan Ortega that highlighted the German as the stand-out performer in the match with his crucial saves.
The 30 year-old's performance earned him the Man of the Match award from the club, and plenty of praise from his teammates, including Kalvin Phillips.
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The England international midfielder was used as an early second-half substitute, after returning from shoulder surgery.
Speaking after the game, he said of the City goalkeeper, “He was unbelievable.
"He kept a clean sheet, and some of the saves he made were amazing.”
Ortega is yet to make an appearance in the Premier League this season, after signing on a free transfer from Arminia Bielefeld in the summer.
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However, he has made a handful of appearances in other competitions, with his performance against Chelsea being his best.
Alongside Ortega, Kalvin Phillips also had high praise for his fellow countryman, Jack Grealish.
The former Aston Villa captain has faced a lot of criticism recently, but Phillips believes Grealish will silence his critics.
Speaking to the club's in-house media team after the game, Kalvin Phillips said, “Jack has trained hard every single day.
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“He’s not had the luck with scoring and assists, but I think he brings a lot more to the team than just that.
“When you see him play and he plates like that, it’s a joy to watch.”
Jack Grealish has not provided as many goal contributions as fans and pundits would have expected since joining from Aston Villa in August 2021, but that is something that he is certainly wanting to improve.
He arrived in Manchester for a British-record fee of £100 million, having established himself as one of the Premier League’s finest midfielders.
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Both Phillips and Grealish had their places confirmed in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Thursday afternoon, while Stefan Ortega will be looking for more game-time for Manchester City, once the international break is over later this year.
Topics: Manchester City, Premier League, Kalvin Phillips, Stefan Ortega, Jack Grealish, Chelsea, Carabao Cup, Football
Danny Young