Ultimate joy for ex-Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips with Manchester City and minutes played

Phillips was named on the bench and stayed there for Saturday night’s Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul in which the player who takes up his position, Rodri, bagged the only goal of the game in a 1-0 success for Pep Guardiola’s side.

City were dealt a big blow during the first half as midfielder star Kevin De Bruyne was forced off injured. Phil Foden replaced the Belgian from the bench but Inter stood firm as the opening period ended goalless.

City then received a let off as a mix up between Manuel Akanji and Ederson let in Lautaro Martinez who was denied by Ederson at an acute angle. Inter were also proving very resolute at the other end but Guardiola’s side bagged what proved the only goal of the game in the 68th minute as a pull back from Bernardo Silva picked out Rodri to apply a composed finish.

The crossbar then denied Inter an equaliser as a looping header from Federico Dimarco bounced back off the woodwork and Di Marco’s follow up attempt was blocked by his own man in Romelu Lukaku. Inter were then presented with a glorious chance in the 88th minute with a free header for Lukaku who could only place his effort straight at Ederson who made an instinctive reflex save. Inter were given six minutes of added time to bag an equaliser and one final brilliant save from Ederson proved the last act of the game as City bagged their first ever Champions League.

Phillips left Leeds to join City last summer and the 27-year-old has been limited to 593 minutes of action upon 21 outings in all competitions this season. Two hundred and ninety of those minutes came in the Premier League, 161 in the FA Cup and 39 in the Champions League, three competitions in which Phillips now has a winner’s medal as part of a treble-winning season for the ex-Whites star.