Samir Nasri provided a timely reminder of his quality to help Manchester City to a 2-1 win over West Brom on his first Premier League start since September. Here, we take a look at the Frenchman's impressive return to action…
Samir Nasri has been something of a forgotten man during his injury absence at City, but his performance against West Brom was as eye-catching as his bleached blond hairstyle.
Five months after suffering a serious knee injury in October, the 28-year-old marked his return to Manuel Pellegrini's starting line-up with a winning goal that significantly boosted City's top-four prospects after a dismal run of two wins from their previous seven Premier League games.
His accomplished all-round performance was a timely reminder of what he is capable of. The big-money arrivals of Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling had thrown his future at the club into doubt even before his injury, but he played like a man with a point prove against West Brom - and Pep Guardiola will have liked what he saw.
Nasri lined up on the left-hand side of an attacking City XI as Pellegrini rotated his side for Tuesday's Champions League showdown with Paris St Germain, and in the absence of De Bruyne and David Silva, he took on the role of creator-in-chief right from the start.
"He played the game as if he really, really enjoyed himself and he controlled it," said Sky Sports pundit Niall Quinn. "From the first minute City really went to town on that left side. All day they were trying to find areas to get in behind the West Brom players. It was great to see that from Nasri."
Opta tracking data showed 42.5 per cent of City's attacks came down their left flank compared to 24.6 per cent through the centre and 32.9 per cent down the right, and it was Nasri's excellent combination play with the overlapping Aleksandar Kolarov that brought the penalty for Sergio Aguero's equalising goal.
Kolarov wasn't the only City player to enjoy linking up with their No 8. Nasri completed 64 of his 67 passes over the course of the 90 minutes - more than anyone else on the pitch. The former Arsenal man constantly made himself available for his team-mates, and he also laid on three scoring chances as City sought to extend their lead.
His composed passing in deep positions allowed City to launch counter-attacks, and he impressed without the ball as well as with it. "He was brilliant," added Quinn. "He worked off the ball, he won tackles and he set things up. When he had the ball he was their most creative player."
Nasri's work-rate was illustrated by the fact that only two City players covered more ground than his 10.61km, with one 60-yard burst putting him in position to coolly slide the winning goal through James Chester's legs midway through the second half.
Nasri spotted the danger when De Bruyne won possession high up the pitch on the opposite flank, and as City worked the ball across the West Brom box, Nasri was exactly where he needed to be to finish it off. "He reads things, and he felt something was going to come his way," said Quinn. "Every season you'll get five or six goals if you make that run," added Thierry Henry.
Nasri's energy and creativity made a considerable difference for City. "There was something about Nasri's performance today that was missing in the home games that have gone so wrong in the last month or six weeks," said Quinn. "He brought an edge to it, he brought bite. Good challenging, good passing and creativity. He brought a smile to City fans' faces today and he was excellent."
Nasri certainly enjoyed the occasion. "It was great to be back and to score that winning goal, especially after the result between Arsenal and West Ham," he told Sky Sports. "I cannot explain how happy I am. I was a little bit dead at the end and that result is the best thing to do before [facing] Paris.
"When you've been out for long you're really hungry when you get back and you just want to prove to everyone that you have the quality for this squad, especially after all the new players that we had this year," he added. "I wanted to give my contribution to my team."
After months in the shadows, Nasri will now be hoping to finish the season strongly. And with Guardiola on his way to the Etihad Stadium, there's more than just league positions to play for.