The midfield maestro may have only completed one half of City’s FA Cup triumph – but the PFA Player of the Year was instrumental in orchestrating our offensive prowess, spraying sensational passes around the final third.
Naturally, the 29-year-old claimed his customary assist, pulling the ball back for Bernardo Silva’s second - and once again, KDB‘s display left the pundits purring.
“It’s like he has bird’s-eye vision stuck in his head!” Dunne smiled on our We’re Not Really Here matchday show.
“If the Birmingham players switch off for one second, he will pick them off.
“The pass to Foden is incredible. It’s just a joy to watch.
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“He’s still the most important player on the pitch.
“There’s no stepping back for him and he just improves all the time, and he showed it against United why many fans feel he is the best player in the world.”
Morrison, who scored in City’s previous FA Cup win over Birmingham almost 20 years ago to the day, echoed: “It’s a talent.
“He’s got a vision and he puts a ball in the area where he makes sure to miss the defender.
“It’s perfection and a pleasure to watch. For me, he is the outstanding player in world football.
“Week in, week out, he keeps producing the same standard. We’re fortunate to be able to witness this.”
The defensive duo also reserved praise for goalscorers Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden.
Silva opened the scoring with a stunning volley, before coolly converting De Bruyne’s cutback, and Foden continued his fine form with an excellent drilled finish to seal the tie before half-time.
“He has so much energy and he brings so much intensity to the team,” said Dunne, of Silva.
“He’s so important to the press and is also so skilful with the ball.
“It was an outstanding finish [for the first goal]. The ball was on the way up, which made it harder to finish, but he blasted it into the top corner and got his leg up really high to connect.”
Echoing Dunne’s praise for our attacking play, Morrison agreed: “They’ve kept the ball and been patient, and then the bit of magic comes – the appreciation and weight of pass from Mahrez [for the second goal], and then Bernardo was there for a simple finish.
“The key moment there was Mahrez with the pass.”
Reflecting on Foden’s display, Dunne hailed the youngster’s touch and composure.
“He’s a joy to watch,” he declared. “Every time he gets the ball, you don’t know what to expect and he gets you to the edge of your seat.
“It’s all about the Foden finish for me. He’s playing in the false 9 position and his first touch moves it away… his finish into the corner is excellent. The power and precision was outstanding.
“It’s great to see him getting a lot of gametime.
“He’s worked hard, he’s never once said anything about not playing enough and he has knuckled down so it will be a great example to the lads on the bench from the Academy.”
