Manchester City faced off against Aston Villa at Villa Park earlier this evening hoping to leap above Leicester City in the Premier League table with a win on the road. The Citizens made a dominant start to the game and took the lead in the 18th minute courtesy of Riyad Mahrez’s goal.
It was the Algerian international who doubled his team’s advantage just six minutes when he found the back of the net yet again to put Villa in a world of trouble. Pep Guardiola’s men went on to score twice more via a goal each from Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus just before the half-time break.
Aguero piled on even more misery on the home side after he scored a brace in the second 45 minutes and thus, completing his hattrick. The Villans got a consolation goal in injury time via Ahmed El Ghazi’s penalty. The contest ended with the Citizens coming away with a 6-1 victory from the West Midlands.
Let’s take a look at how each Man City player performed during the clash against the Villans.
GK: Ederson – 6/10
The Brazilian keeper had a comfortable game but will be disappointed for not keeping a clean sheet. He dived the right way but couldn’t stop El Ghazi’s penalty.
RB: João Cancelo – 8/10
He was an excellent outlet for the Citizens down the right flank. Cancelo was always willing to join in on the attack and was quite impressive throughout the 90 minutes.
CB: John Stones – 8/10
The English centre-back defended valiantly at the back and was calm when in possession of the ball. Overall, it was a solid performance from him today.
CB: Fernandinho – 7.5/10
The Brazilian veteran read the game well and didn’t give the Villa attackers any hope for a goal. He was subbed right after the hour mark.
LB: Benjamin Mendy – 7/10
The French full-back worked hard for his side down the left-wing and whipped in some inviting crosses into the Villa penalty box.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – 8.5/10
The Belgian international was at his best during his time on the pitch. He created a plethora of goal-scoring opportunities and ended up with two assists to his name.
CM: Rodri – 8/10
The Man City midfield ace put in a good shift at the centre of the park. He dominated the opposition physically and broke down several of their attacks.
CM: David Silva – 7.5/10
The Spanish maestro kept possession well with some neat interchange of passes with the front players. He got a deserved assist when he set up Aguero in the 57th minute.
RM: Riyad Mahrez – 9/10
The Algerian winger scored two quick-fire goals in the first half to ensure the three points for his team. He played well for the remainder of the game and even got an assist in the second half.
ST: Sergio Agüero – 10/10
The Argentine striker put in a masterclass of a performance as he bagged another hat-trick in the Premier League. He took his goal-scoring tally to 249 for the Citizens.
LM: Gabriel Jesus – 7.5/10
The Brazilian forward initially struggled to get into the game but ended the first half strongly by scoring Man City’s fourth goal. He showed enough after the half-time break to last the full 90 minutes.
Substitutes:
CB: Nicolas Otamendi – 6/10
The Argentine centre-back used his experience well to see out the emphatic victory.
CM: Phil Foden – 6/10
The talented youngster kept things ticking in midfield.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 6.5/10
The German playmaker played some neat passes after coming on for the final quarter of the contest.
