Watch as Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praises Bernardo Silva, calling the Portuguese player the best player in the league after the Portugal forward’s sublime strike inspired a 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Silva doubled City’s lead with a majestic volley after Ruben Dias had put Guardiola’s side ahead.

Ollie Watkins pulled one back for the hosts in the second half, but City survived a sustained onslaught to hand Steven Gerrard his first defeat in three games as Villa boss.

City’s mix of guile and grit kept them in second place, just one point behind Premier League leaders Chelsea, who won 2-1 at Watford on Wednesday.

“Bernardo scored a fantastic goal. When a player has this quality it depends on them. He is a player on another level,” Guardiola said.

“The game we played was fantastic. Difficult game. We knew it. Especially after conceding early in the second half, the way we reacted, we played really well.”

Guardiola’s men have now won six in a row in all competitions despite the fitness issues having the Spaniard claim his team were suffering an injury “emergency” this week.

Watch Pep’s post-match conference here: