Not the best of performances but a hard fought victory which secured the three points nonetheless. A reality check perhaps too – as this season isn’t going to be plain sailing.
Manchester City player ratings here:
Joe Hart: Tough one because before he dropped the ball that caused their equaliser he had been solid, redeemed himself with an excellent save at 2-1: 6.5
Bacary Sagna: Few wayward crosses but generally steady. Him and Navas were involved a fair bit down their side: 6.5
Vincent Kompany: Didn’t do anything wrong, made a few good interceptions and played it well on the floor: 7
Nicolas Otamendi: Excellent showing. Stalwart defensively and his header was a thing of beauty. Tackled brilliantly too, has Vincent Kompany found his partner?: 8.5
Aleksandar Kolarov: Few nice crosses in that weren’t met, should have done better with the penalty: 6
Fernandinho: Good showing, tackled well and mopped up in-front of the back-four nicely: 7
Yaya Touré: Seriously love this guy. Big moment player and he did it again with a cool penalty when it really mattered: 7
Jesus Navas: Didn’t provide much going forward, hope he isn’t going back to his usual,wasteful self: 6
Kevin De Bruyne: Had a quieter game than on Wednesday, still managed an assist from the wonderful corner in: 6.5
Wilfried Bony: Poor today. Wasteful in front of goal and even greedy at times. Frustrating: 5.5
Kelechi Iheanacho: Almost like playing with 10 men in the first half as he couldn’t get into it, maybe the hype got to his head? Hope not: 6
SUBS:
Raheem Sterling: Good half hour, won two penalties and looked lively. Should be played next time: 7
Fernando: Wasn’t on for long enough but allowed Yaya to venture forward: N/A
Martin Demichelis: N/A
