The centre-back continued to impress in a City shirt, marshalling the defence as they withstood threatening Stoke pressure in the second half.
Stones oozed class on the ball, while dominating aerial duels and staying alert to sweep up attacks.
Media reaction
Simon Curtis of ESPN rated the former Everton defender’s performance as 9/10 – quite the compliment for a centre-back in a 4-1 win!
He wrote: “Stones provided the subtlety and class alongside Nicolas Otamendi’s agricultural weaving. Composed and unhurried delivery of the ball, happy to stroll forward with the attack and cool as a cucumber in his defensive chores.
The MEN’s Stuart Brennan also heaped praise on the England international, reflecting: “John Stones showed he is much more than a fancy-dan footballing centre-half, sticking his head in at vital times and showing some cute defensive awareness at others.”
