David Silva's 10 best moments in a Man City shirt - ranked

Most people have forgotten that City actually beat QPR 3-2 twice in the title-winning season. The dramatic final day of the season and Aguero's 94th-minute winner has naturally overshadowed the other match, at Loftus Road, but it was no less crucial.

Silva played a vital role in the comeback victory. With the match finely balanced at 1-1, the Spaniard fired City in front with a touch of class, bringing a cross from Edin Dzeko out of his feet and away from his two markers in the six-yard box before rifling home from close range.

The final few weeks of the 2019-20 season were like a farewell tour for Silva, and the big shame is that City fans were not able to watch his swansong in person due to coronavirus restrictions.

But he bowed out in typical fashion with an exquisite goal against Bournemouth in the penultimate home game of the season. It was a splendid free-kick, curling over the wall and bouncing off the crossbar into the net to set City on their way to a 2-1 win.

Silva had done almost everything for City apart from make his mark in an FA Cup final. In the 2011 showpiece against Stoke City, he missed a clear chance to score, while the 2013 final was a total disaster as City were beaten by soon-to-be-relegated Wigan Athletic.

The Spaniard made it third time lucky by firing in City's opening goal in the 2019 final against Watford, though, burying a half-volley after a knockdown by Raheem Sterling in the area.

The goal set City on their way to a 6-0 hammering, the biggest scoreline in an FA Cup final for 116 years.

It was far from Silva's best goal but it is among his most important. Not every goal has to be a work of art, sometimes you just need to be in the right place at the right time. And that's what Silva did in a tight match against Arsenal in 2011 to snatch a 1-0 win.

In a reversal of usual roles, Mario Balotelli weaved his way down the left wing and took on a defender before sending a shot across goal. Wojciech Szczesny parried it into the air, but Silva was there to slide in and knock the ball in from a couple of yards out.

When City were locked in their breath-taking title race with United later in the season, every point counted, and this scrappy finish was just as crucial in City winning the title as Aguero's strike against QPR.

Silva scored one of the great team goals of the Pep Guardiola era in a resounding 3-0 win away to Arsenal, in the season City swept to a record 100 points.

In a devastatingly slick move, City steadily worked the ball forward from their own area and Silva lit the touch paper by dribbling past Aaron Ramsey and shuffling over to the left flank where he released Leroy Sane.

The German found Aguero in the area, and the Argentine played a short ball to Silva, who took one touch to take Hector Bellerin out of the equation before tucking the ball inside the near post, completing a work of art.

Silva sure loved playing against Arsenal and so naturally he had the final say in the 2018 Carabao Cup final against the Gunners.

City were well in charge thanks to goals from Aguero and Kompany, but the Spaniard scored the finest of the lot. He had his back to goal when he received the ball but swivelled his body to spin past Calum Chambers before flashing an unbeatable shot into the far bottom corner from a tight angle.

Silva had been through a traumatic period as his son Mateo, born prematurely, had to spend the first few months of his life in hospital in Valencia. Having shaved his head in tribute to his new-born, he immediately paid tribute to him after scoring by sucking his thumb.

At a crucial stage of their title race with Liverpool, City got off to a nightmare start away to Hull City when Kompany was sent off in just the 10th minute. Luckily, they could rely on a virtuoso performance from Silva to see them through.

Just four minutes after Kompany had been shown a red card, Silva collected a pass from Toure outside the area. He had three defenders in front of him so whipped a shot in between two of them which nestled into the top corner.

City clung on to their lead and Silva made sure they took all three points by setting up a goal for Dzeko in added time.

Silva's most important pass for City was simple yet highly effective: An out-swinging corner for Kompany against Manchester United.

City's then coach Roberto Mancini had been working with a data analyst who advised him that the most effective way of taking corners was out-swingers rather than in-swingers. Silva put the theory into practice with an inviting cross into the six-yard box and Kompany used his height and strength to beat Chris Smalling to the ball and score the only goal of the game.

The 1-0 win took City top of the Premier League on goal difference with two games to go, having trailed United by eight points only four games earlier. We all know what happened next...

There's nothing like the first time and Silva's first City goal against Blackpool was a thing of beauty. City were playing against Ian Holloway's entertainers and had a slender 2-1 lead when Silva lined up alongside James Milner for a free-kick to the right of Blackpool's area.

Silva collected a short pass from Milner and proceeded to dance his way through Holloway's side. He shuffled his way past Stephen Crainey and then embarrassed David Vaughan, calmly stepping aside the player's poorly attempted slide tackle.

But the best was still to come. With Charlie Adam closing him down, Silva conjured a delightful curling finish into the corner of the net. He knew he had just produced a masterpiece and whipped his shirt off before being embraced individually by all his team-mates.

Beating Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford when the Red Devils were still very much the dominant force has to rank as one of City's best-ever results and performances. And Silva was the architect of the demolition.

The playmaker set up Balotelli's opening strike by making a subtle touch to ensure Milner's pass reached the Italian. And he was instrumental to Balotelli's crucial second goal, tormenting Anderson in the area to release Milner, whose cross found the striker at the back post.

City were well in command heading into stoppage-time with a 3-1 lead against United's 10 men, but Silva helped turn a good result into an unforgettable one. He struck the fifth goal with a cheeky finish between David de Gea's legs and then set Dzeko on his way to score goal number six with an outrageous volleyed pass.