Manchester City took on Watford at Vicarage Road yesterday night hoping to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table. The Citizens dominated the ball early on and created some great opportunities to score. They finally made a breakthrough in the 40th minute when Leroy Sane scored from close range to give City a narrow 1-0 lead at half-time.
The away team continued their domination in the second half and doubled their lead in the 51st minute courtesy of Riyad Mahrez’s clinical finish. The Hornets pulled a goal back through Abdoulaye Doucouré’s scrappy finish in the final few minutes of the match, but it turned out to be a consolation one as the game ended 2-1 in favour of Pep Guardiola’s team.
Let’s take a look at how each Man City player performed during the match against the Hornets.
GK: Ederson – 6.5/10
The Brazilian keeper pulled off a great save to deny Troy Deeney in the first half. However, he was left helpless by his defenders in the lead up to the Watford goal.
RB: Kyle Walker – 7/10
The English full-back kept things tight at the back and worked hard for his side down the right flank.
CB: John Stones – 6.5/10
He spurned a great chance to score in the first half. On the positive side, he distributed the ball well and dealt with the threat of Deeney with relative ease.
CB: Vincent Kompany – 7/10
The Belgian defender used his experience well to deny Watford from scoring during his time on the pitch.
LB: Fabian Delph – 6/10
He acted as a makeshift left-back and made a considerable error late in the game which ended up costing his team a clean sheet at Vicarage Road.
CM: Bernardo Silva – 6.5/10
Not the best game from the City winger going forward. However, he did link up play well in midfield and was a menace for the Hornets defenders.
CM: Fernandinho – 8/10
Another solid display from the Brazilian midfield veteran. He was superb in breaking up play at the centre of the park and started most of the City attacks.
CM: David Silva – 7.5/10
The Spaniard put in a classy display while operating as a free-flowing midfielder in the opposition half and hardly gave the ball away during his time on the pitch.
RM: Riyad Mahrez – 9/10
The Algerian was City’s biggest threat in the attacking end of the pitch. He set-up Sane well for the City opener before scoring himself with a routine finish from close range.
ST: Gabriel Fernando de Jesus – 5.5/10
The Brazilian forward showed good touches early on but was guilty of squandering some excellent chances to score during the match.
LM: Leroy Sané – 8.5/10
The German speedster put in a fabulous shift down the left wing and was not afraid to take on the Watford defenders in a footrace.
Substitutes:
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 6/10
The German came on to provide some fresh legs in midfield.
CB: Aymeric Laporte – N/A
He came off the bench to run the clock down for City.
CB: Nicholas Otamendi – N/A
The Argentine didn’t have any time to make an impact in the game.
