It was a hard-fought contest between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion in the first semi-final of the FA Cup, which the Citizens won by a single goal. Gabriel Jesus notched up an early goal as the City defence did well to hold their line and win the match to advance to the final of the prestigious tournament.
After the early goal, Brighton did well to keep the mighty City attack quiet for most of the match. However, they lacked firepower up front, and despite a decent display from Jose Izquierdo, the Seagulls had to leave the pitch empty handed.
Here is how the Manchester City players were rated from their marginal win against Brighton.
Ederson: 7
Had a rather quiet game with most of the action taking place on the other end of the pitch. Did well to pull off a couple of good saves.
Kyle Walker: 6
Ran up and down the pitch with a brisk pace. Some would argue that he was lucky to escape a red card after his collision with Alireza Jehanbaksh. Was substituted at the start of the second half probably as a result of the yellow card he saw due to the previous incident.
Aymeric Laporte: 8
A solid performance from the Frenchman as he gave no chance for the likes of Glenn Murray and Anthony Knockaert to aim for the goal. Kept making a strong statement in the heart of the City defence with well-timed tackles and clearances.
Nicolas Otamendi: 6.5
Looked a little shaky against Izquierdo but had a good game overall. Paired up well in the middle of the backline with Laporte to keep his side out of harm’s way.
Benjamin Mendy: 6
A rare start for the Frenchman as he looked to be still attaining full fitness. Did well to get a few balls up the pitch but was later substituted.
Ilkay Gundogan: 7
Kept getting into tussles and won most of them in the middle of the pitch. Made some good interceptions to dispossess the opposition players.
David Silva: 7
Another calm and composed performance from the skipper as he consistently got into the right positions to pass the ball and open up spaces. Looked like a bundle of energy throughout the match.
Kevin De Bruyne: 7.5
Played some delightful passes to open up the Brighton defence on many occasions. Kept initiating attacks from the midfield. Laid off the assist for Gabriel Jesus to score the only goal of the match for Manchester City.
Bernardo Silva: 6.5
Kept getting into the channels and played the ball into the box with precision. Was a constant threat for the Seagulls throughout the match.
Raheem Sterling: 7
His pace caused a number of concerns for the Brighton defenders. Went into the box on a number of occasions and could have scored one goal but for Matt Ryan’s good save.
Gabriel Jesus: 8
Looked to create chances with his classy footwork and deceived the opposition defenders on a number of occasions. Opened the scoring with a brilliant header to give his side an early lead that turned out to be the winning goal eventually.
Substitutes
Danilo: 6
Held the backline well after coming on for Walker.
Fernandinho: 6
Did well in his limited time on the pitch.
John Stones: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
