No one should write the reigning Champions off so early in the campaign! A shocking defeat to Norwich City have awakened the Premier League giants and the reaction this afternoon was monstrous as Manchester City thrashed Watford 8-0 to remind their supremacy in English football.
Below are the Manchester City players rated in their majestic win against Watford.
Ederson Moraes: 7.5
Was not particularly busy in goal but kept his focus and denied Gerard Deulofeu twice to secure a clean sheet at the Etihad.
Kyle Walker: 7
The Hornets offered little in the attacking third, and that allowed Walker to spend his time in the opponents’ half. Was taken off early in the second half to be replaced by Joao Cancelo.
Nicolas Otamendi: 8.5
Had a disastrous outing against the Canaries but compensated this time with a goal as well as a clean sheet. Injuries to both John Stones and Aymeric Laporte are a massive blow, but the Argentine stepped up once more following their midweek 3-0 win on the road against Shakhtar Donetsk. Was replaced by youngster Eric Garcia just over the hour mark.
Fernandinho: 8
Has slotted in perfectly in deep defence as a makeshift and delivered yet another towering display with his strong passing traits and timely tackles.
Benjamin Mendy: 7
Mostly spent his time on the sidelines since joining the Citizens but had a comfortable 45 minutes of football this afternoon before being replaced by Angelino at half time.
Rodri: 8
Controlled the game from the centre of the pitch and had enough comfort in retaining possession due to Watford’s lack of pressing and intent to chase the game. Was denied by Ben Foster once and thus failed to make it to the scoresheet.
Kevin De Bruyne: 10
Created ten chances as he instigated the destruction in early seconds with a scintillating cross that was converted by David Silva from a very close range. He set it up for Bernardo Silva to fire in the hat-trick goal and wrapped it up in style unleashing a thunderous strike towards the left top corner.
David Silva: 8.5
Scored in early seconds and also played his part in Bernardo Silva’s second of the afternoon. Drew fouls, dominated the ball, kept on causing menace inside the Watford box.
Riyad Mahrez: 8.5
Earned a spot-kick which was slotted home by Aguero. Won a freekick just over the 10-minute mark and converted it with the aid of a deflection to make it 3-0 in 12 minutes. Set it up for De Bruyne in the closing seconds who made no mistake in making it 8-0. Also, hit the woodwork in the second half from a thumping header at the back post.
Bernardo Silva: 10
Was in the right place at the right time while finding the net thrice in the game. Kept on creating chances from the wide areas and his pace, power and stamina kept the visitors on their toes throughout the outing.
Sergio Aguero: 9
Converted the spot-kick and played his part in Otamendi’s strike as well as Bernardo’s first. Worked tirelessly, kept on switching position and linking up with his teammates in the attacking third. Missed a few excellent chances, though.
Substitutes
Angelino: 6.5
Enjoyed his time on the pitch as it was a comfortable occasion for the youngster.
Joao Cancelo: 6.5
The gametime would help the fullback settle in Premier League surroundings.
Eric Garcia: 6
Enjoyed his time on the pitch as it was a comfortable occasion for the youngster.
