FA Cup third round draw

Manchester City vs Salford City

Ortega Moreno; Akanji, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Gundogan, De Bruyne ©, Bernardo; Doku, Haaland, Grealish.

Substitutes: Ederson, Carson, Lewis, Walker, Wright, O’Reilly, McAtee, Nunes, Savinho.

Player Ratings

Stefan Ortega Moreno – 7

Pulled off a good save in the first half to keep the game at 1-0. Will be happy with the clean sheet.

Manuel Akanji – 7

Came out on top in his battles with Anthony Elanga and remained in control. Came off at half time for Kyle Walker.

Nathan Ake – 7

Defended well on the left to cover for Josko Gvardiol and was confident on the ball. Appeared to have picked up an injury late in the game.

Ruben Dias – 7

Solid at the back and looked like his old self again. Strong performance from him today, and ventured into attacking areas as Nathan Ake remained in control of Chris Wood for most parts of the contest.

Josko Gvardiol – 7

Had the freedom to move wherever he wanted and should have scored twice in the first half.

Ilkay Gundogan – 7

Played a crucial role in the opening goal and was confident and composed on the ball.

Jack Grealish – 7.5

Moved into the middle of the pitch and glided past opponents to create overloads in the centre. Why has it taken so long for this to be trialled in a Manchester City shirt?! There’s plenty more to come, that’s for sure.

Kevin De Bruyne © – 9 (MOTM)

Controlled the game in the final third and scored a great goal to make it 2-0. Showcased his creativity too with a number of excellent balls into the box, and of course his somewhat fortunate assist for Bernardo Silva.

Bernardo Silva – 8

Great positioning and sense for the opening Manchester City goal and was really effective in the final third.

Erling Haaland – 7.5

Dropped deep to receive the ball and showed another level to his game. Earned his assist for Jeremy Doku’s goal with a great through ball. Excellent work rate off the ball, too.

Jeremy Doku – 8.5

Had a good battle with his defender and showed great composure to wait for the opening with Kevin De Bruyne’s goal. Great finish for his goal.

Substitutes

Kyle Walker – 6

Defended well after coming on at half-time. Didn’t allow any runners behind him.

Rico Lewis – 6

Held his own in midfield to control the game at a slower tempo.

Matheus Nunes – N/A

Had a few touches but didn’t put a foot wrong after he came on late.

Savinho – N/A

Nearly provided an assist after he came on with a quick burst of pace and good cross late on.

James McAtee – N/A

Wasn’t on the pitch for long enough to make an impact but didn’t put a foot wrong.

This post has been edited by kjs86: Dec 5 2024, 06:10 AM

Player Ratings


Ortega: A fine save in the first half to deny Gibbs-White and his distribution helped to keep City on the front foot. 7

Akanji: Picked at right-back and earned a booking after ending up on the wrong side of a Forest attack. Taken off at half-time. 5

Dias: Could not manage to stop Wood running clear but did well organising and coming forward with the ball. 6

Ake: Some nice balls forward through Forest lines and an assured presence at the back. He has been missed too. 7

Gvardiol: Very good going forward, still problems defensively. Par for the course, although it was promising to see him stay so high. 7

Gundogan: More signs of improvement on a night when he had the holding role to himself. Still some worries though. 6

Silva: Another who showed more energy, zipping in balls from the right wing on top of his usual shift. 7

De Bruyne: A goal and an assist on his return, as well as an aura that lifted the whole team. Let him talk and let him play as much as he possibly can. 8

Doku: Some much-needed end product with an assist for De Bruyne followed up by a fine individual goal. 8

Grealish: Played centrally inside Doku and grew into the game, with more running with the ball than he normally manages. 7

Haaland: A good effort early on that Sels parried but otherwise a quiet night as others took the limelight and he dropped deep a lot. 6

Substitutes

Walker (for Akanji, 46) Lost Elanga when the winger should have hit the target but otherwise uneventful

Lewis (for De Bruyne, 74) An easy night with the game already won. 6

Savinho (for Doku, 90) No time

McAtee (for Ake, 90) No time

Nunes (for Grealish, 90) No time

Player Ratings


Stefan Ortega (7/10):

Made a fine save to swat away a Gibbs-White strike heading for the top corner and put off Wood. Did more than enough to keep his place over Ederson for at least another week.

Manuel Akanji (5/10):

Looked a bit rusty and was taken off at half-time.

Ruben Dias (6/10):

His leadership is starting to shine through again after a long period out.

Nathan Ake (6/10):

Solid at the back and positive going forward, playing his part in the move for the opening goal. Hobbled off near the end with a suspected knee injury.

Josko Gvardiol (6/10):

Got forward a lot but was wasteful, missing with a header and scuffing a clear opening from inside the area.

Ilkay Gundogan (7/10):

His best display since returning, controlling the game by getting on the ball as much as possible.

Bernardo Silva (7/10):

Very lively in the first half, constantly probing from the right after breaking his four-month goal drought.

Kevin De Bruyne (8/10):

Back with a bang. Made his first start since September and every move in the final third went through him. His goal was a rocket and only a fine save from Sels prevented him scoring again.

Jack Grealish (6/10):

Worked hard defensively and knitted the midfield together.

Erling Haaland (4/10):

Had an early shot saved and did almost nothing afterwards. Yes, he got an assist, but Doku did all the work. Will be very disappointed not to have got in on the act and his bad night was summed up when he ballooned a shot over at the end.

Jeremy Doku (7/10):

Ripped Forest's right-hand side to shreds in the second half and scored a wonderful goal.

Subs & Manager

Kyle Walker (6/10):

Had a comfortable 45 minutes which he really needed given his recent form.

Rico Lewis (6/10):

Got forward a lot after replacing De Bruyne.

Savinho (N/A):

Came on in added time.

James McAtee (N/A):

Brought on in added time.

Matheus Nunes (N/A):

Came on in added time.

Pep Guardiola (7/10):

Freshened up his starting XI and it paid dividends as two of the recalled players scored. And this time his early changes didn't come back to bite him.

Manchester City have been drawn into Group G, alongside Juventus, Al Ain and Wydad AC.

Player Ratings

Stefan Ortega Moreno – 6

Will be disappointed with the first goal conceded.

Kyle Walker – 3

Has to take a large portion of the responsibility for the two Crystal Palace goals. Simply not good enough anymore.

Ruben Dias – 7.5

A colossal performance at the back from Ruben Dias, making several key blocks and clearances to keep Manchester City in the game, particularly at 1-0 to Crystal Palace.

Josko Gvardiol – 6

Struggled in the centre of defence against the Crystal Palace attack, losing a few duels to Jean-Philippe Mateta in particular.

Rico Lewis – 6

A somewhat disappointing display despite the goal, and also sustained a career first red card late into the second half in harsh circumstances. Will be ruled out of next weekend’s Manchester derby.

Ilkay Gundogan – 6

Sloppy in possession in the middle of the park with an untidy display overall.

Bernardo Silva – 7

Similar to Rico Lewis, his assist makes up for the overall performance for Bernardo Silva, who didn’t have his finest afternoon today.

Kevin De Bruyne – 7

Night and day creatively, with and without Kevin De Bruyne in the side, Manchester City are visibly more dangerous when playing with the Belgian. A timely and welcomed return to first-team football.

Savinho – 6

Created nothing notable in front of goal and missed a couple of good chances in the first-half.

Erling Haaland – 7

Scorer of Manchester City’s first goal out of nowhere, Erling Haaland had a tidy afternoon when found by a teammate.

Matheus Nunes – 7

Delivered an excellent cross for the first goal and generally played well. Another solid outing as he looks to keep his place in the squad.

Substitutes

Jeremy Doku – 6.5

Instant impact in adding pace and intensity into Manchester City’s attacking line, but couldn’t influence too much in terms of individual chance creation.

Jack Grealish – No time to mark

Player Ratings

Ortega: Didn't have too much to do besides the goals but performed solidly enough. 6

Walker: Played Munoz onside for the first goal and beaten to the ball by Lacroix for the second. A miserable season continues. 4

Dias: Made block after block to keep the ball from Ortega's goal and roared his teammates back into the game. 8

Gvardiol: A few misunderstandings in defence as he moved inside, although he grew into it. 6

Lewis: Didn't cover himself in glory for the opener but settled and scored a terrific goal pushing up from left-back, then was sent off with a daft tackle. 4

Gundogan: Signs of the Gundogan that left City two years ago but there are still some bad calls at important moments. 6

Silva: Helped Gundogan in the middle while also pushing out on the right. Tidy without being threatening. 6

De Bruyne: City's most dangerous player, pushing the team on and - promisingly - getting through 90 minutes. 7

Savinho: Back in the team but was anonymous, not a performance that demands another start. 5

Nunes: Two assists were invaluable and boosted a mixed performance. 7

Haaland: A terrific header for the first goal unfortunate not to score before that but there were a few heavy touches. 7

Substitutes

Doku (for Savinho, 79) Tried his luck on the right but couldn't do much in the time. 6

Grealish (for De Bruyne, 86) No time

Player Ratings

Stefan Ortega (6/10):

Will feel he should've done better with Munoz's opener but, in his defence, it was struck with venom. Nothing he could do about the second.

Kyle Walker (3/10):

Far too deep as he tried to catch Munoz offside for the first goal and then dominated by Lacroix in the air for Palace's second. Really poor.

Ruben Dias (7/10):

Decent battle with Mateta. Made some crucial blocks to deny Palace and didn't crumble like some of his team-mates around him.

Josko Gvardiol (5/10):

Isn't as comfortable at centre-back and it showed, with Palace exploiting his side of the pitch on numerous occasions.

Rico Lewis (5/10):

Caught out trying to play offside as he let Munoz go for the opening goal and was having a bit of a nightmare, right up until he smacked the ball into the top corner for 2-2. Then sent off for naively lunging in to try to challenge Chalobah when he should've stayed on his feet.

Ilkay Gundogan (5/10):

Gave away possession in the build-up to Palace's early goal but almost made amends with a stunning volley that struck the post. Tried to get things going in the second half but wasn't really his day.

Bernardo Silva (6/10):

Came into it more in the second half after an anonymous first 45. It was his neat ball through that set-up Lewis for City's second goal.

Savinho (4/10):

Should've been more clinical with the two or three presentable opportunities he had over the course of his 78 minutes on the pitch. Must do better.

Kevin De Bruyne (6/10):

A couple of loose touches showed that he's still finding his way back to full fitness but City look far more dangerous when he's in the starting XI, with the Belgian linking up well with Haaland. Will be frustrated he couldn't turn the tide in City's favour as he looked the most likely to pick the Palace lock.

Matheus Nunes (6/10):

His in-swinging cross put the ball on Haaland's head for the equaliser but he was pretty quiet, the assist aside.

Erling Haaland (6/10):

Denied by a terrific Henderson save in the opening 10 minutes before diverting a header into the net for his 18th goal of the season. Hardly had a kick in the second half.

Subs & Manager

Jeremy Doku (5/10):

Had the chance to win it when put through by De Bruyne but tried to square the ball and wasted it.

Jack Grealish (N/A):

On for the final few minutes as City chased a winner, was too late for him to be able to make a significant impact.

Pep Guardiola (5/10):

Just as it looked like City had turned a corner, another disappointing result haunts Guardiola in this bizarre 2024-25 season of theirs. His bench options were limited but he perhaps could, and should, have made changes sooner, with Grealish only being introduced very late on.

Player Ratings


Stefan Ortega-6/10: Could do little about either of Palace’s goals but didn’t have a busy afternoon in goal.

Kyle Walker-4/10: Was at fault for both of Crystal Palace’s goals. Another poor display from Walker although he did make one crucial intervention late on.

Ruben Dias-9/10: City’s man-of-the-match by far. His blocks kept City in the game and he was outstanding all game.

Josko Gvardiol-7.5/10: Looked much better playing at centre-back. A polished performance from the Croatian.

Rico Lewis-6/10: Scored City’s equaliser and was harshly sent off. At, times he was bullied in midfield and on other occasions, he played well.

Ilkay Gundogan-8/10: His best game since returning to the club in my opinion. I thought he was superb.

Bernardo Silva-6.5/10: His poor pass led to Crystal Palace’s corner where where they restored their lead. After that he was brilliant and his assist for Lewis’ goal was superb.

Kevin De Bruyne-7/10: De Bruyne wasn’t as impactful as he was against Nottingham Forest but he was a constant threat to the hosts. He well and truly looks over his injury issues.

Savinho-6/10: He had moments to make an impact but his finishing was lacking. Not City’s worst player on the day.

Matheus Nunes-8/10: A constant threat and his assist for Haaland’s goal was sublime. He slotted in at right-back after Lewis’ dismissal and did well there as well.

Erling Haaland-7.5/10: Scored one and perhaps should’ve had two. But he never stopped fighting up front to his credit.

Substitutes

Jeremy Doku- 6/10: Had moments but didn’t see enough of the ball late on.

Jack Grealish- N/A: Not on long enough to mark.

Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen

young and most important is club EDS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremie_Frimpong


Ola Aina from Nottingham Forest

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-ne...d-trafford.html

https://thesun.ng/epl-aina-wins-nottingham-...-november-potm/

Player Ratings

Ederson – 4.5

His poor handling led to Juventus’ goal. Should have done better with both shots.

Kyle Walker © – 4

Arguably played better tonight than in recent form. The first goal did come from his side, however.

Ruben Dias – 6

Rock at the back as always. Our most reliable defender by far.

Josko Gvardiol – 4

Poor clearance led to the cross where he got beat in the air for their goal.

Rico Lewis – 4

Struggled physically in midfield and got overran a few times. Had a few tame shots.

Ilkay Gundogan – 4.5

Lacked creativity as we struggled to make chances in this game. Unlucky with his saved effort from distance.

Bernardo Silva – 6

One of the better players in a Manchester City shirt on Wednesday evening. Covered every blade of grass and kept the ball well.

Jack Grealish – 5

Still adjusting to his newer role in the team. Had less of an impact today.

Jeremy Doku – 6.5

Really effective on the wing and played some dangerous balls across the box to nobody.

Kevin De Bruyne – 6.5

Found pockets in the final third and passed through their defensive lines often. Should have had an assist today.

Erling Haaland – 4

Had little impact on the game apart from his missed chance in the first half.

Substitutes

Savinho – 5

Had little influence on the game after coming on.

Matheus Nunes – No time to mark

Came on late in the game so struggled to make a real impact. Would have liked to see him come on sooner.

This post has been edited by kjs86: Dec 12 2024, 01:12 PM

Player Ratings

Ederson

Recalled after three games in the cold, Ederson was hoping for a quiet night but spilled Dusan Vlahovic's header just over the line to cancel out a smart stop seconds earlier. 4

Kyle Walker

Some important interceptions in the first half but once again a question mark over his defending for Vlahovic's goal and he was a long way upfield for the killer second. 5

Ruben Dias

Not quite at fault for either goal, but City needed him to take control and yet City were too easy to cut open in the second half. 5

Josko Gvardiol

Gifted the ball back to Juventus and then outjumped for their opener. He can't shake those mistakes at the moment and was badly out of position for the second. 4

Rico Lewis

Another defender who was more solid defensively than the Crystal Palace draw, yet still questionable for the goal. Maybe his enforced rest this weekend will be a positive. 5

Ilkay Gundogan

Gundogan still looks in desperate need of a rest but is using his experience to get through one game at a time. City's biggest attacking threat in their tame second half. 6

Bernardo Silva

Another game, another position. Bernardo was back on the wing and City looked more balanced for it. He just couldn't turn that into a goal and his influence waned as Juventus took control. 6

Kevin De Bruyne

Starting a third game in a row, De Bruyne was waiting all evening for a gap to open up. He found Haaland in the first half and flashed a shot wide, but couldn't unlock the killer ball. 6

Jack Grealish

Selected at number eight to help with Guardiola's decree to keep possession, Grealish looked good in the first half but faded and ended the night in the book. 6

Jeremy Doku

Struggled to get involved as Juventus doubled up on him. Once he got in behind, he couldn't find a teammate with any crosses. 5

Erling Haaland

Always alert and always running, Haaland was unlucky with his chip in the first half that was saved. Barely involved but one of the few to come out of the game with credit. 6

Savinho (on 78)

Did not affect the game from the bench. 5

Player Ratings

Ederson (3/10):

Made a terrible blunder at the crucial moment and had invited the pressure by spilling the previous effort from Gatti moments before.

Kyle Walker (5/10):

More solid than of late but was too slow to deal with the danger in the build-up to the goal.

Ruben Dias (6/10):

Reliable and authoritative. It's a shame the same couldn't be said of his fellow defenders.

Josko Gvardiol (4/10):

Back in his preferred position but did not look comfortable in the vital moments. Beaten in the air by Vlahovic then helpless to get back when McKennie struck.

Rico Lewis (5/10):

Struggled at left-back, unable to influence the game in midfield and beaten on the break a couple of times.

Bernardo Silva (6/10):

Lively in the first half but his efforts led to few impactful moments. Booked for clashing with Michele Di Gregorio.

Ilkay Gundogan (5/10):

Had a promising strike tipped away by the goalkeeper. Good in possession but nowhere to be seen when Juve broke for their second.

Kevin De Bruyne (7/10):

The player who looked most like making something happen. Played a sublime ball to Erling Haaland and had a couple of close efforts in the second half.

Jeremy Doku (5/10):

Couldn't get involved in the key areas and often cut a frustrated figure.

Erling Haaland (5/10):

Thwarted by Di Gregorio's excellent save but had no other clear chances and it's another blank in a big game.

Jack Grealish (6/10):

Did as was asked of him and helped City control the first half but couldn't step up when they needed a goal.

Subs & Manager

Savinho (5/10):

Couldn't cause any danger.

Matheus Nunes (N/A):

Introduced in the 84th minute.

Pep Guardiola (4/10):

Sought to control the game through possession but his side lacked ideas against a typically stern Juve defence. Recalling Ederson also backfired badly and there is no escape from the results crisis.

Player Ratings

Ederson- 4/10: He looked nervous in goal and I thought he could’ve done better for Juve’s first goal. Not his best night.

Kyle Walker- 4.5/10: I thought for 50 minutes he looked better than he fell away. He needed to step up and failed to do so over 90 minutes. His effort to get back for Juve’s second goal was dismal.

Ruben Dias- 6/10: He tried hard but not his fault City went down. Can’t give him higher than a 6 based on what unfolded.

Josko Gvardiol- 6/10: Same as Dias. Did what he had to do but can’t give him higher than a 6.

Rico Lewis- 6/10: I feel for Lewis. He’s been asked to play a role that requires too much from a young and tired player.

Ilkay Gundogan- 6.5/10: Had his moments and saw one shot well-saved.

Kevin De Bruyne- 6.5/10: De Bruyne tried all he could to lift his team and was City’s most creative player. His final ball was just off but can’t knock his effort.

Bernardo Silva- 6/10: Toiled away and had several shots blocked but not his best day.

Jeremy Doku- 7/10: Manchester City’s most dangerous player on the night. Did all he could before being substituted. A lively display.

Jack Grealish- 6/10: Started in midfield but finished the game on the left wing before he was substituted. Did some of the midfield grunt work but didn’t offer a lot in possession.

Erling Haaland- 4/10: Had one chance all game that was well saved. But I will say he needs to do more and get more involved in games like that as he was anonymous for the majority of the game.

Substitutes

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

Matheus Nunes-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.

Record £715m revenue, profit of £73m​

https://www.mancity.com/annualreport2024/ch...mans-statement/

candidates:

Adam Wharton

Bruno Guimaraes

Martín Zubimendi

Atalanta’s Éderson

Douglas Luiz

Palacios

Ricci