Gianluigi Donnarumma ended Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Coventry making a crucial save to deny Ellis Simms from point-blank range but it could have been a very different afternoon for the Italian after he came close to an early blunder.
A back-pass from Abdukodir Khusanov should have been routine in the opening minutes, but Donnarumma’s first touch was loose and more than half the ball had crossed the line before he hacked it to safety and avoided an early own goal.
Donnarumma’s distribution has long been a point of concern given the radically different profile of the 27-year-old to his City predecessor Ederson, and it remains an issue for boss Enzo Maresca to deal with.
Over the summer City have spent time trying to adapt the way they play out to help Donnarumma contribute more effectively, and he has spent extra time on the training ground working on his passing.
However, it remains evident that this is very much a work in progress and Donnarumma is unlikely to ever be as comfortable on the ball as many of his counterparts in the Premier League.
The other side of that is his undeniable quality as a shot-stopper – something City ultimately had to rely on as they came under late pressure having failed to add to Erling Haaland’s early goal.