Manchester City entertained Birmingham City at the Etihad Stadium earlier today hoping to earn a victory and book their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Mancunian side made a dream to the contest as they scored two quick-fire goals courtesy of a brace from Bernardo Silva. Phil Foden added another goal in 33rd minute which killed the game off as Man City went into the half-time break three goals up on the scoreline.
Pep Guardiola’s men dominated the ball for major periods of the second half and cruised to a dominant 3-0 win which ensured their spot in the next round of the FA Cup.
Let’s take a look at how each Man City player fared during the match against Birmingham.
GK: Zack Steffen – 7/10
Steffen didn’t put a foot wrong in the game and made some decent saves to secure another impressive clean sheet at home.
RB: Joao Cancelo – 6/10
He was hardly troubled defensively and made one good dribble in the first half. He got replaced at half-time.
CB: Kyle Walker – 7/10
The English talent did well to fill in as a makeshift centre-back and performed at a high level to see out the win with the clean sheet intact.
CB: Ruben Dias – 6.5/10
Dias made one interception in the first 45 minutes before being taken off at the midway point of the game.
LB: Benjamin Mendy – 6.5/10
Mendy was defensively solid but struggled to make an impact in the attacking third.
CDM: Rodri – 7/10
He was a commanding presence in midfield and helped his teammates boss the game in the first half. He ran out of gas and got subbed after the hour mark.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – 8/10
The Belgian superstar was not shy about getting stuck in with a few tackles and managed to engineer some promising chances for his teammates in the final third. He ended the game with an assist to his name.
CM: Bernardo Silva – 8.5/10
The Portuguese playmaker made a brilliant start to the match as he scored a quick-fire brace which gave Man City the ideal platform to go on and snatch the win. He got a few more chances to bag a hattrick but fell short in the end.
RW: Riyad Mahrez – 7/10
The Algerian attacker will be disappointed after not getting his name on the scoresheet. But he deserves credit for picking up an assist and being a serious headache for the Birmingham defenders during the 90 minutes.
ST: Gabriel Jesus – 8/10
The Brazilian striker did everything but find the back of the net today. He made a few dangerous runs and also created a couple of decent opportunities for others around him.
LW: Phil Foden – 8/10
The English youngster got himself a goal after the half-hour mark and managed to orchestrate some meaningful openings in and around the Birmingham penalty area.
Substitutes:
CB: John Stones – 6.5/10
The English centre-back came on at half-time and did enough to keep a shutout in the second 45 minutes.
CM: Felix Nmecha – 6/10
Nmecha struggled to get into the game in the second half.
CB: Taylor Harwood-Bellis – 6/10
He was solid at the back during his time on the field.
CM: Fernandinho – 6.5/10
The Brazilian midfield ace came off the bench to add some energy and steel to the Man City midfield.
ST: Liam Delap – 6/10
He got one good chance to score but didn’t take it.
