Great to get back to winning ways and nice to see us score more than two at the Etihad. Still a lot of questionable moments in the game but with Silva back my mind is more at ease. Roll on Hull Tuesday night.
Manchester City Player Ratings:
Willy Caballero: There was a lot of pressure on him to perform in Joe Hart’s absence. Fortunately, he did that today and pulled off a string of fantastic saves, including a strong paw to deny Tadic who was through on goal: 7.5
Bacary Sagna: Much improved from his last two average showings. Got a bang on the head and played the majority of the 90’ with a Terry Butcher-style bandage around his head. Linked up well with Sterling and KDB too: 7.
Martin Demichelis: Not entirely convincing, especially when he seemed to let Tadic walk through the heart of the defence. Also seemed to make some rash tackles, Mangala likely to replace him next time out: 6.
Nicolas Otamendi: A defensively excellent afternoon for the Argentinean who was ruthless in the tackle and gave Long a very tough battle over the course of the game. Won a lot of high balls and timed his tackles fantastically. His passing was also far better, did the simple things well: 8.
Aleksandar Kolarov: Stupendous outing from the Serb. Definitely a shout for MOTM had someone else not ran the show. Defended well, attacked even better and even got on the scoresheet with an arrowed volley. Nearly curled in a superb free-kick and has solidified his place for games to come: 8.
Fernandinho: Was his usual industrious self in the first half winning every second ball and pressing high up the pitch. Faded in the second but was the main reason for our 2-0 cushion at half time: 7.
Fabian Delph: Debut goal! Thought he was tidy. Good in possession and seemed at ease next to Yaya and Fernandinho. Looks a whole lot better than Fernando: 7.
Yaya Touré: Weird one. Had a few nice moments and kept things ticking over nicely but seemed to be on his arse most of the time. Looks to have lost his mental sharpness too, he seems to get dispossessed all too often: 6.
Raheem Sterling: First goal was all him as he won the ball well, ran at goal and set up KDB for a tap-in. Had Yoshida easily for pace and got in behind him a plethora of times, shame he wasn’t found more – could’ve killed the game off far earlier: 7.
Kevin De Bruyne: I may have been harsh for his rating vs Juventus but today he banished any memory of mediocrity and put in a game-winning performance. He had a hand in all three goals, scoring one and setting up the other two and was consistent all over the pitch. His defensive cover was also noticeably improved. Fantastic: 9.
Sergio Aguero: Didn’t look right from the off. Don’t think he’s fully fit yet but a couple of hefty knocks didn’t help him. Nearly scored after being put through by Delph in the first half but was quiet otherwise. Looked to have turned his ankle in the second half after landing awkwardly, let’s hope it’s nothing serious: 6.
SUBS:
Fernando: Added stability: 6.
Wilfried Bony: Thank god he’s fit again after Aguero’s knock. Hand a hand in the third goal after laying off KDB for his cross to Kolarov: 6.
David Silva: Olé! He’s back. Saw some nice glimpses but wasn’t on for long enough: N/A
