ManCity 2-0 Sheffield United

Player Ratings

Ederson – 7

Wasn’t asked to do much, like most matches, and had perfect distribution.

Josko Gvardiol – 7

For someone so technically gifted, it’s baffling when he makes a few terrible decisions on the ball. He’s still so young that he will be able to improve that with experience, but it’s almost becoming expected at this point. Still expect him to eventually take over the John Stones role.


Nathan Ake – 8

Another great Nathan Ake performance, Sheffield United constantly tried to find space in behind him and Gvardiol, but time and time again the Dutchman calmly took care of the threat.

Manuel Akanji – 7.5

All eyes are on Manuel Akanji these next few weeks until John Stones returns from his third injury this season. But the former Borussia Dortmund defender continues to showcase his ability on the ball and like so many other City players, he had his best performance in months.

Kyle Walker – 6.5

A typical Kyle Walker performance as of late, offered little on the ball and took a few baffling shots from 35 yards out. Wasn’t terrible, wasn’t good.

Rodri – 9

Best performance from Rodri in months, and by some margin. Incredibly well taken goal and dictated the play from the off.

Mateo Kovacic – 6

Lost the ball a handful of times in both halves and had to pick up a card to stop a counter-attack following his error. Was understandably pulled early.

Phil Foden – 9.5 (MOTM)

Yet another Man of the Match performance from Phil Foden. Assisted both goals and was a constant threat both on the ball and when making runs in behind. Excellent performance, which has now become the norm for him this season.

Jack Grealish – 6.5

Pedestrian performance for the first time in a while for the former Aston Villa winger. Neither him or Bernardo Silva were much of a factor due to how compact Sheffield United were for most of the match. Let’s just hope his substitution was nothing more than a precaution with some concern over injury.

Julian Alvarez – 8

Couldn’t have asked for more from Julian Alvarez. Wasn’t able to convert his first chance, but made up for it minutes later. Didn’t have too many other chances to make an impact offensively, but was great on the ball and vital in the press.

Bernardo Silva – 7

Just like Jack Grealish, he wasn’t able to do much throughout the 90 minutes, but Bernardo was a little bit more of a threat. Could’ve done better on the shot in the first half that Foden setup.

Substitutes

Oscar Bobb 7.5

Great cameo performance, sublime pass to Phil Foden to setup the second goal. Smooth on the ball and continues to show that he will be a Manchester City player for years to come.

Rico Lewis – 6.5

Came on for a shaky Mateo Kovacic and helped bring more control onto the pitch. Don’t understand why Pep Guardiola doesn’t trust Rico Lewis to play more in these matches. His close control and passing is already so crisp for a teenager.

Ruben Dias – 6.5

Decent confidence building cameo for the out-of-form defender. He’s been dropped a few times as of late and it’s probably the best for the long run. He’ll be needed in the spring.

Ederson: Had very little to do but stayed strong during the one minor scare in the first half with the score at 1-0. 7

Walker: A rare substitution giving him the last half hour off but earned a big hug from Guardiola for a solid showing. 7

Akanji: Less eventful than his performance at Everton, but some lovely crossfield balls helping to build City's attack. 7

Ake: Challenging Ederson for the coolest on the pitch, never looked flustered in his duties as last man clearing up any potential danger. 7

Gvardiol: Some nice work with Foden pushing up on the left, although some not-so-nice defensive errors giving the ball away. 6

Rodri: Back close to his best to see out the year, bossing the midfield and always offering an outlet for the ball wherever it popped up. 8

Kovacic: A mostly polished performance, let down by him giving the ball away in attack and then getting booked in his own half as he tried to recover possession. 6

Foden: Involved in both goals and always looking to get on the ball and influence the game, taking responsibility for creating chances. 8

Silva: A bright start fizzled into a low-key performance with much of the game being played on the other flank. 7

Grealish: Made too many poor decisions in the final third and came off early, although credit to him for turning up and playing after the scare for his family at his house in the week. 5

Alvarez: Wasted a few decent chances but in the right place to score one and nearly earned a second with his pressing. 7

Substitutes

Bobb (for Grealish, 51): Flair and movement from the start, making the second goal with an incisive pass. 7

Dias (for Walker, 68) Safe return to the pitch after missing Everton with illness. 6

Lewis (for Kovacic, 68) Tidy in possession as he moved between midfield and defence. 6

GK: Ederson - 6/10 - Barely tested, with the saves he made incredibly routine.

RB: Kyle Walker - 7/10 - Far more impactful going forward as he was seldom called on defensively. Frequently showed his blistering pace, making runs beyond Luke Thomas at wing-back.

CB: Manuel Akanji - 7/10 - His incisive pass ultimately led to the opener. A comfortable afternoon in his own half.

CB: Nathan Ake - 8/10 - Showed his class defensively, often using his pace to make up ground. Won all of his physical battles.


LB: Josko Gvardiol - 7/10 - Made some good forward runs to support Jack Grealish and Bobb and looked sharp down the left flank.

CM: Mateo Kovacic - 6/10 - Helped progress the ball up the pitch for the hosts but often ended up deeper than Rodri. Booked for a cynical foul on Osula after surrendering possession in the first half.

CM: Rodri - 8/10 - Scored a wonderful opener that the benched Kevin De Bruyne would have been proud of in the first half. Broke up play typically well when required.

RM: Bernardo Silva - 7/10 - A wonderfully intelligent footballer who caused plenty of problems for the Blades' backline. Sheffield United couldn't handle his movement in the final third.

AM: Phil Foden - 9/10 - Was given the freedom of the Etihad as he waltzed in and out of Sheffield United defenders. Grabbed two assists and his influence grew as the game wore on. Another effortless showing.


LM: Jack Grealish - 5/10 - Couldn't get any joy up against a resolute Sheffield United defence in the first half and was withdrawn early in the second. Bogle dealt with him relatively comfortably.

ST: Julian Alvarez - 7/10 - Grabbed one of the easiest goals he is ever likely to score thanks to Foden's lovely pass. Plenty of neat touches in and around the box.

Substitutes
SUB: Oscar Bobb (51' for Grealish) - 7/10 - Helped create City's second with a wonderful ball to Foden.

SUB: Ruben Dias (67' for Walker) - 6/10

SUB: Rico Lewis (67' for Kovacic) - 6/10

immense talent like bobb

I never have to worry our winger again since grealish and bernardo are not natural winger

we got bobb and doku as our future winger

echeverri can play many role under pep

Nunes is still adapt but i think he is going to replace KDB for future

we got so much young talent here

foden 1-0

Alveraz 2-0

5-0 Doku

KDB assist

Player Ratings

Stefan Ortega – 7.5

Made a pair of excellent saves the only time he was called upon and swept up any other potential chance from Huddersfield. Standard Ortega performance.

Manuel Akanji – 7


Was on the pitch for less than 20 minutes, but had excellent distribution in his limited playtime. His diagonal ball to Grealish created one of City’s first chances of the half.

Ruben Dias – 8

Excellent in the build-up and was virtually mistake free throughout. Continues to build confidence after a shaky few weeks in November and December.

Josko Gvardiol – 6.5

Wasn’t anywhere near as involved in the game as Dias was, and once again had a terrible turnover that fortunately did not end up in a goal for Huddersfield.

Sergio Gomez – 7.5

The left side of City’s attack was quiet all night, but Gomez made the most of his limited touches, even after getting bludgeoned in the face early on.

Rico Lewis – 8

Steady as always despite having to switch roles just 20 minutes into the match.

Mateo Kovacic – 8.5

Did an excellent job filling in for Rodri, assisted Foden for the second and set-up Bobb’s chip. Continues to look more and more comfortable.

Oscar Bobb – 8.5

Another great performance despite limited minutes this season, hopefully City can draw another lower league opponent to allow Bobb to get more playtime.

Phil Foden – 9.5 (MOTM)

Simply Superb. City were unable to break through in the first 20 minutes or so, but the moment Foden got more involved in the game, the goals followed. Both of his goals were excellent finishes, and he set-up Alvarez’s as well.


Jack Grealish – 7

Quiet afternoon from Grealish, he was used more to just create space on the left as City focused most of their attack on the right side.

Julian Alvarez – 8.5

Wasn’t able to do much in the opening 20 minutes or so due to Huddersfield low block, but once the game opened up a little bit he was able to shine.

Substitutes:
Matheus Nunes – 8

Came on abruptly due to Akanji’s injury and played well by setting up two goals despite the low block not suiting his strengths.

Kevin De Bruyne – 7.5

Made an immediate impact just seconds after coming on, and assisted Doku’s goal. De Bruyne usually takes a few games to get back up to speed, and he’s recovering from a serious injury.


Jeremy Doku – 7.5

First game in weeks after an injury but he scored an excellent goal as he continues to push Grealish for minutes.

Jacob Wright – N/A

Micah Hamilton – N/A

GK: Stefan Ortega - 6/10 - Made a handful of simple saves on a quiet afternoon.

RB: Manuel Akanji - 6/10 - Had his involvement cut short by an injury sustained from a hefty challenge.

CB: Ruben Dias - 7/10 - Was never truly in danger, always looking for more dominant whenever a Huddersfield attacker tried to make inroads. Completed 165 of 167 passes.

CB: Josko Gvardiol - 7/10 - Similarly to Dias, always looked assured with little threat posed.

LB: Sergio Gomez - 6/10 - Did well enough on this rare outing, taking on a couple of shots, though not enough to start getting more minutes when it matters.

CM: Rico Lewis - 8/10 - Dropped into right-back after Akanji went off but still found himself high up the pitch in central areas. Got an assist for Alvarez's strike and helped City ping the ball around outside Huddersfield's box. Created four chances.


CM: Mateo Kovacic - 8/10 - Whenever City did lose possession, Kovacic was quickly on the scene to correct things. Nice flick assisted Foden's second.

RW: Oscar Bobb - 7/10 - Often looked to jink through Huddersfield's deep block with varying levels of success. Still an entertaining watch.

AM: Phil Foden - 9/10 - Showed quickness of thought to belt City ahead and added a second with a composed strike. Ran the show.

LW: Jack Grealish - 7/10 - Saw lots of the ball early on and kept dragging his opposite number into uncomfortable areas.

ST: Julian Alvarez - 8/10 - Thumped the ball to Foden to put City ahead and poked in the second soon after.

Substitutes
SUB: Matheus Nunes (18' for Akanji) - 7/10 - Made probing runs into the box, most notably for Alvarez's strike and Jackson's own goal.

SUB: Jeremy Doku (57' for Grealish) - 8/10 - Showed his incredible pace on the wing and ventured into the box to score the fifth.

SUB: Kevin De Bruyne (57' for Alvarez) - 8/10 - Made his return to much applause at the Etihad. An easy game to come back in for but showed some trademark runs and got an assist.

SUB: Jacob Wright (75' for Kovacic) - 7/10

SUB: Micah Hamilton (76' for Foden) - 7/10

Stefan Ortega-6/10: Was rarely required but made two quality saves late on. Yet another clean sheet in the FA Cup

Manuel Akanji-N/A: Substituted within the opening 15 minutes after being on the receiving end of a crunching challenge. City will be hoping the injury isn’t too serious given Akanji’s importance to Pep Guardiola’s squad.

Ruben Dias-6.5/10: He was good in possession on a quiet day at the back for the City defence.

Josko Gvardiol-7/10: Another polished display. Did his job in the centre of defence with a minimal amount of fuss in his favoured position.

Sergio Gomez-7/10: Was a constant threat on City’s left-hand side. There is a player there he just needs games.

Rico Lewis-7/10: Another good performance. Is quickly becoming a vital part of Pep Guardiola’s squad.

Mateo Kovacic-7.5/10: A superb performance from Kovacic. His layoff for Foden’s second goal was pure class. Appears back to his best at the right time for City.

Oscar Bobb-7/10: Some magical touches from the starlet. Grabbed an assist as it was his ball that was deflected in for City’s third.

Phil Foden-9/10: Yet another man-of-the-match performance from Foden. Scored twice and was easily his team’s most dangerous player. On current form, there aren’t many better players in Europe.

Jack Grealish-6/10: Spent the majority of the game on the periphery of the contest. Some nice touches at times but couldn’t get into the game.

Julian Alvarez-7/10: Showed his goal-scoring instincts to add City’s second. Put in a busy display as per usual before being substituted.

Substitutes
Matheus Nunes-7/10: Came on after Akanji’s early injury. Put himself about in a busy display, especially in the second half.

Kevin De Bruyne-7/10: Provided an assist and looks fit and ready to go for the second half of the season. Was a great moment when he came onto the pitch.

Jeremy Doku-7/10: Grabbed a goal with a calm finish from De Bruyne’s cross for City’s 5th. Looked fit and ready for what comes this season.

Jacob Wright-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.

Micah Hamilton-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.

This post has been edited by kjs86: Jan 8 2024, 07:05 AM

Manchester City full-back Sergio Gomez will reportedly remain at the club beyond the January window after a discussion with Pep Guardiola.

Ederson, Walker ©, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Kovacic, Bernardo, Foden, Doku, Alvarez

Welcome back Kev you genius ! what a goal from Oscar Bobb!

Ederson – N/A

Injured within the first five minutes.

Kyle Walker – 5

Excellent cross to setup the first goal, but was out of position for both of Newcastle’s goals. Was much better in the second-half.

Ruben Dias – 8

At times looked absolutely incredible, played virtually mistake free for most of the match. Continues to look like the old Dias.

Nathan Ake – 7

Solid as always.

Josko Gvardiol – 7

Was mostly great despite being being deployed in an advanced role. However gave the ball away leading to both goals.

Rodri – 8.5

Instrumental as always. Was nervous he was going to allow Guimaraes to get under his skin, but he composed himself and ran the show.

Mateo Kovacic – 7

Good not great performance, his lack of goal threat continues to be and issue considering he’s the Gundogan replacement.

Phil Foden – 7.5

Wasn’t able to replicate the same fine form against Newcastle like he has for the past few matches against them. But he continued to grow into the game throughout the second half.

Bernardo Silva – 7.5

Excellent finish to take the lead, wasn’t able to have much of an impact after the fact and his substitute was the reason why City won.

Julian Alvarez – 6.5

Got himself into plenty of great positions, had a couple of good efforts saved but also was unable to convert an easy chance. Should’ve been better.

Jeremy Doku – 6.5

Electric on the ball and helped setup the first goal, but there was not a lot else throughout his time on the pitch.

Stefan Ortega – 7

Had a great save against Isak in the second half, wasn’t at fault for either goal. Not a bad performance considering the circumstances

Kevin De Bruyne – 9 (MOTM)

Was a menace from the moment he came on the pitch. Scored the equalizer, created the winner. Best in the world

Oscar Bobb – 8

Was not on for too long but was absolutely excellent for the winner

Ederson: Tried to carry on after being clattered into in the opening minutes but forced into an early substitution. 6

Walker: Decent cross for the assist but a man who prides himself on 1vs1 defending was beaten for two goals. Improved in the second half 5

Dias: Part of another leaky defence but on this occasion he was more switched on than most and also contributed in attack. 7

Ake: Struggled to contain the left side with Newcastle pouncing in the space behind Gvardiol. 6

Gvardiol: In what feels like a summary of his season, played some nice balls forward but wasn't good enough defensively and Newcastle exploited that. 5

Rodri: A lovely pass through to De Bruyne for the second goal and did well, although lost his focus a bit arguing with the ref. 7

Kovacic: Had earned his place in the team and worked hard even if he wasn't always able to help the team keep control. 6

Foden: Worked his way into lots of excellent position but his touch was unusually poor when he needed it most. 6

Silva: A wonderful goal to open the scoring and he was an attacking threat and a defensive help. A surprise to be substituted. 7

Doku: Terrific vision for the opening goal and dribbles caused Newcastle problems, but City were vulnerable when he lost the ball. 7

Alvarez: Wasted a glorious chance to get City level when 2-1 down as one of too many poor decisions in front of goal. 5

Substitutes
Ortega (for Ederson, 8) A shaky start but some decent saves after that to keep City in the game.

De Bruyne (for Silva, 69) De Bruyne is back, already streets ahead of everyone else on the pitch. 9

Bobb (for Doku, 82) What composure for the winner! 8

GK: Ederson - N/A - Injured after 90 seconds and nearly handed Newcastle a goal before limping off inside seven minutes.

RB: Kyle Walker - 3/10 - Walker assisted the opener and seemingly called it quits there. Two shocking examples of defending gifted Newcastle near-identical goals. Offered a decent attacking threat in the second half.

CB: Ruben Dias - 6/10 - Was clearly barking orders which weren't being followed. Only so much he could do to try carry this back line.

CB: Nathan Ake - 5/10 - An off day for Ake, who looked uncomfortable up against Isak. Feels like a better fit for the left-back role in this team.

LB: Josko Gvardiol - 5/10 - Did not have a good time against Almiron. Another example of the fact he is not a left-back.

DM: Rodri - 6/10 - Struggled in the first half but saw his influence grow as the game progressed. Seemed to lose his composure at times and could have easily racked up the yellow cards.

DM: Mateo Kovacic - 5/10 - Couldn't keep up with the tempo of the game. Seemed to get caught out once or twice by Newcastle's aggressive press.

RM: Phil Foden - 6/10 - Lively down the right up against Burn. Didn't always find the space he wanted but never stopped fizzing around trying to get things going.

AM: Bernardo Silva - 7/10 - A sensational goal which was nearly immediately followed by another sweet strike.

LM: Jeremy Doku - 4/10 - Really off it here. Had the odd glimpse but was largely silenced by Trippier.

ST: Julian Alvarez - 5/10 - Didn't really seem up for the battle with Botman and Schar. A pretty quiet performance.

Stefan Ortega (7' for Ederson) - 6/10 - Could do nothing about either of Newcastle's superb goals.

SUB: Kevin De Bruyne (69' for Silva) - 9/10 - An immediate impact. What a player.

SUB: Oscar Bobb (82' for Doku) - 7/10

I agree but we still win many games this season without him right

Ya our striker n winger just still young but with a lot of talent
already

we have three world class players - KDB,Rodri, Haaland

Just imagine they play together this season

team sometimes lack of concentration maybe Bec of fatigue n underestimating other team

Why I said so Bec there no other pl team have even won 4 pl in a row

Our neighbor also can't win under Ferguson for so many years,that mean we have opportunity to break the record

sad he didnt suit our style of play

i