Manchester City played hosts to Rotherham at the Etihad Stadium earlier this afternoon looking to progress into the next round of the FA Cup. The Citizens dominated the game from the get-go and secured a 3-0 halftime lead through goals from Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden before Rotherham’s Semi Ajayi scored an unfortunate own goal in injury-time of the first half.
The second half was more of the same with City piling on the pressure while the away side defended for their lives. Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez, Nicolas Otamendi and Leroy Sane all found the back of the net in the second half to cap off a memorable 7-0 win over the South Yorkshire outfit.
Let’s take a look at how each Man City player performed during the match against Rotherham.
GK: Ederson – 5.5/10
The Brazilian keeper was careless at times but did manage to come away with a clean sheet from the game.
RB: Kyle Walker – 6/10
The English international took some time to get into the game but was a good outlet for City down the right flank.
CB: John Stones – 8/10
The English centre-back bossed the City backline with another composed and dominant display at the back.
CB: Nicolás Otamendi – 8/10
The Argentine defender used his experience well to keep things solid defensively. He also managed to get a goal in the second half which will please Pep Guardiola.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6.5/10
He was bright and creative during the match and linked up well with his teammates in the Rotherham half.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – 8/10
The Belgian international created some fantastic chances for his teammates in the final third. He was subbed off by Guardiola but this performance will give him a lot of confidence going into the League Cup clash against Burton Albion next week.
CM: IIkay Gündogan – 8.5/10
The German talent pulled the strings for City from midfield and played some wonderful through balls during the match. He set up both Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez with perfectly weighted passes to cap off another fine performance in a Man City shirt.
CM: Phil Foden – 7/10
The youngster got a bit lucky with his goal in the first half but showed why so many people value him so highly with an impressive display in midfield.
RM: Riyad Mahrez – 7/10
The former Leicester City star was a major goal-threat in the Rotherham half but lacked the sharpness in the attacking end of the pitch. He scored one goal on the day but should have scored more based on the chances that fell in his path during the game.
ST: Gabriel Fernando de Jesus – 4/10
Even though he scored a goal, Jesus was guilty of missing four glorious chances in front of goal. The Brazilian’s form is a major worry for Guardiola as his side looks to compete on all fronts in the second half of this campaign.
LM: Raheem Sterling – 9/10
He was Guardiola’s biggest threat going forward. The English speedster broke the deadlock in the 12th minute with a clinical finish and set up Jesus for City’s fourth goal later in the match.
Substitutes:
LM: Leroy Sane – 7/10
The German came off the bench to score with a deflected strike.
CB: Philippe Sandler – 6/10
It was a nice little cameo for the City youngster playing in his first senior match.
RB: Danilo – 6/10
He provided some fresh legs on the pitch.
