Micah Richards has heaped praise on Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin following his 'brilliant' display in the Magpies' 3-3 draw against Manchester City.
The Frenchman set-up first half goals for Miguel Almiron and Callum Wilson as Newcastle came from behind following Ilkay Gundogan's early strike.
Saint-Maximin was a constant threat and caused significant problems for Man City right-back Kyle Walker. Although Saint-Maximin is renowned for his ability to run riot with his speed and dribbling skills, it was his decision making that impressed Richards most at St James' Park.
"In that first half, he was brilliant," former Manchester City full-back Richards declared on Sky Sports. "He gets on the ball and turns and goes so quick. I’m glad he did it in a massive game.
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"There’s times when he’s done it against the little teams, everyone's raving about him and he comes up against the bigger team and doesn't. His decision making has improved. The way he drives in, he’s got his head up now and he wants to play a killer pass. He’s been class today.
"Kyle Walker is rapid and sometimes he got caught up the pitch. He kept going and going. The good thing about him, he can go both sides and he’s comfortable. His decision making is a lot better today. He was a thorn for Man City today. Just keep doing it and make the right decisions, they’ll have a right player on their hands."
The statistics further emphasize how strong his performance was against City. He created the joint-most chances on the pitch (4), won the second-most duels (6) and registered more assists (2) than any other player.
Kieran Trippier curled a sensational free-kick into the top corner to fire Newcastle into a two-goal lead in the 54th minute. However, goals from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva saw Man City come from behind to rescue a point.
Nevertheless, Newcastle extended their unbeaten start to the season with five points from their opening three games.
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