Mumbai City FC opened a three-point lead at the top of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 table as it beat Hyderabad FC 2-0 at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco on Sunday.
Full-back Vignesh Dakshinamurthy put Mumbai ahead with a stunning strike off a brilliant passing move in the 39th minute while Adam Le Fondre added a calm finish to Rowlin Borges' pass in the 59th minute to seal a win for Sergio Lobera's side.
Hyderbad FC remained sixth in the ISL table with 9 points from 6 matches and will face Kerala Blasters FC next Sunday. Mumbai's next match is also against Kerala Blasters which is on January 2.
Here are the talking points of the highly competitive clash
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Mourtada stands tall, Jahouh sublime
After conceding near the end of the first half, Hyderabad FC upped the intensity in the second half but were unable to breach through Mumbai's defence which was led by Mourtada Fall. The Senegalese barely put a foot wrong as he made 10 clearances, 2 blocks and 2 tackles to earn Mumbai its fourth cleansheet from 7 matches.
Ahmed Jahouh continued his superb form as his movement on and off the ball allowed Mumbai to dominate the early chances. The Moroccan, alongside Mourtada Fall, were the instigators of most attacks as their diagonal balls from the back often put Bipin Singh and Raynier Fernandes clear to the goal. Jahouh switch play dragged Hyderabad defence wide allowing the likes of Le Fondre and Bipin to sneak through the defence. It was Jahouh's curling pass which reached Bipin and then finished by Vignesh that put Mumbai up front.
Le Fondre's efforts pay off, Bipin blazes on
Adam Le Fondre might not have seen much off the ball in the opening half of the match but was pivotal for Mumbai's quick transitions in the final third. The Englishman was full of running as he often dropped deep to drag Chinglensana Singh and Odei Onaindia wide which made things easy for the likes of Borges and Bipin. He deservedly got the goal when he hit Borges' pass on the turn to double his side's lead.
Bipin Singh has been one of the most impressive players of the current season. The 25-year old's raw pace and crossing ability proved too much for the Hyderabad defence. With Le Fondre, Jahouh and Borges offering the support, the winger ran riot on the left side often leaving Asish Rai in the dust. It was also his wonderful cushioned lay-off that allowed Vignesh to open the scoring in the 39th minute.
Santana endures tough time
In the post-match presentation Manuel Marquez said that his team was probably scared of Mumbai's quality in the first half, but was happy with their dogged second-half performance. His words might be true with the youngsters in the team, but repeated errors from an experience Aridane Santana failed to lift Hyderabad's spirits.
Early in the match, he went for an unnecessary tackle on Hernan Santana from behind and was shown a yellow card. In the final moments of the first half, Nikhil Poojary's superb through pass allowed Mohammed Yasir to run into space and square a pass to an unmarked Halicharan Narzary. However, the move was foiled before an attempt on goal was made due to Santana's foul on Amey Ranawade inside the box. Santana came out second best to Hernan Santana and Mourtada Fall as Hyderabad's late surge withered away.
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