Manchester City faced off against Oxford United in the Carabao Cup earlier tonight looking to progress into the next round of the competition. The Citizens started to dominate possession from the get-go and scored in the 36th minute through Gabriel Jesus’ headed goal from close range which helped them go in with a narrow advantage at half-time.
The away team kept the pressure on in the second half and scored the decisive second goal through Riyad Mahrez’s strike in the 78th minute. Phil Foden scored in stoppage time with a fantastic strike to put the icing on the cake for the Citizens. The match ended with a final score of 3-0 in City’s favour.
Let’s take a look at how each Manchester City player performed during the contest against Oxford United.
GK: Arijanet Muric – 6/10
The young goalie was hardly tested during the game and kept a comfortable clean sheet away from home.
CB: Vincent Kompany – 5.5/10
The Man City captain struggled to cope with the pace of the game at times but he did enough to see out an easy victory for his team at the Kassam Stadium.
CB: Nicolás Otamendi – 7/10
The Argentine put on a commanding display at the heart of City’s defence and kept a clean sheet to show for his efforts.
CB: John Stones – 6/10
He looked assured on the ball and worked hard to keep things solid at the back.
RM: Danilo – 7/10
He was a wonderful outlet for the Citizens down the right flank and looked quite sharp on the night.
CM: Phil Foden – 8.5/10
The youngster sprayed an excellent diagonal pass to release Diaz in the lead up to Man City’s opening goal of the game. He also scored a deserved goal in injury-time to cap off a brilliant performance in a City shirt.
CM: David Silva – 6/10
The Spaniard showed some glimpses of his brilliance in the first half but was unable to make an impact in the opposition half.
CM: Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6/10
A bit shaky while defending in his own half, yet the Ukrainian remains a willing runner going forward.
RS: Riyad Mahrez – 7/10
The Algerian was a menace for the Oxford defenders and completed a number of dribbles during the match. He scored the decisive second goal which killed off the tie.
ST: Gabriel Fernando de Jesus – 6/10
The Brazilian forward took up a great position inside the Oxford United penalty box and headed home the opening goal of the contest. However, his performance faded as the game went on.
LS: Brahim Diaz – 7.5/10
The youngster was fantastic in the first half and was always willing to take on the Oxford defenders. He played his part in the City opener but suffered an unfortunate injury in the second half.
Substitutes:
LS: Raheem Sterling – 7.5/10
He set up Phil Foden in injury-time to earn a handy assist on the night.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 6/10
He came off the bench to retain possession well in midfield and see out a comfortable win for City.
CAM: Adrian Bernabe – N/A
The youngster hardly had any time to make an impact in the game.
