Never sure how to feel about a point in a derby but it leaves us top of the table and comfortable going into the next few games. I felt we went for the point quite early into the second half which is unlike us.
Manchester City player ratings here:
Hart: Had a solid game. Came off his line well and made a great save from Smalling’s low-effort late on: 7.
Sagna: Felt Martial gave him a tough time but he wasn’t overly exposed. Passed well and was fairly solid: 6.
Vincent Kompany: Proper captain’s performance, great to see him back. Won everything in the air, tackled well, won every physical battle and added much stability to our back-line: 7.
Nicolás Otamendi: Best performance in a City shirt thus far. Fair to say he bossed Rooney and made some vital interceptions throughout. Along with Kompany he was dominant in the air and they deserved their clean-sheet: 8.
Aleksandar Kolarov: Valencia got the better of him in the first half but he had an average game. Didn’t get forward enough: 5
Fernandinho: Quality, was all over the park and covered so much ground. Tackled well and burst us forward for attacks. Shame no one had the same fight: 6.5
Fernando: Was fairly anonymous but didn’t do anything wrong as such. Added stability to a usually shaky midfield: 6
Raheem Sterling: Poor game. Had a good chance in the first half and got into good positions but never looked like he was going to be decisive: 5.
Yaya Touré: Wasn’t his usual explosive self when in the hole behind the striker, but goals and assists talk and he didn’t get either: 6.
Kevin De Bruyne: Worst game in a City shirt to date. Passing was atrocious and didn’t get in the game at all: 5.
Wilfried Bony: Some nice hold up play but doesn’t release the ball quickly enough. Didn’t seem to win much in the air either and his movement was limited. Needs to improve: 5.5
SUBS:
Jesus Navas: Didn’t give us what we needed- which was meaningful width and penetration: 5.5
Martin Demichelis: Closed the game down and got us that point: N/A
Kelechi Iheanacho: No impact: N/A
