Manchester City beat Dean Smith’s Aston Villa side by a rather comfortable 3-0 scoreline in the day’s early kick-off. Although the sides looked pretty evenly matched in the first half, Manchester City came out all guns blazing in the second and simply blew the Villans away. Goals from Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan were enough for the Citizens to seal the win on the night, as they rise back up above Leicester City into second place.
Here are the Manchester City player ratings from what was a comfortable tie for Pep Guardiola’s men:
Ederson Moraes – 8
The in-form shot-stopper was untroubled for most of the tie, and then made a sharp double save in the final seconds. He impressed with his distribution for City’s opener as well.
Joao Cancelo – 7
The former Juventus man had the entire right flank all to himself in the second half, especially after City opened the scoring. He did well to link up with Bernardo Silva and was an important part of their build-up play.
John Stones – 7
The Englishman had a few nervy moments in the first half, but the presence of a natural centre-half certainly takes Manchester City to the next level.
Fernandinho – 5
Put the issues from their last match out of his head and put in a good display in defence. Got himself sent off with two extremely silly challenges in the second half.
Benjamin Mendy – 7.5
The full-back’s tenure at City has been riddled with injuries, but he put up a stellar performance on the night. Few out on the pitch matched his attacking work-rate.
Kevin De Bruyne – 6.5
The Belgian wasn’t his usual influential tonight and got quite lucky to pick up a goal as well. His curling cross into the box was missed by everyone and eventually beat the goalkeeper as well.
Ilkay Gundogan – 7
The German is proving his worth to Pep Guardiola every time he steps onto the pitch now. Scored City’s 3rd on the night with an excellent finish and controlled the ball well in midfield.
David Silva – 7
The Spaniard’s time in the Premier League is slowly drawing to a close, and even thinking about a City team without his finesse and composure in the middle of the park seems impossible.
Bernardo Silva – 6.5
Didn’t have the best outings but came to life in the second half. He was vital at recycling possession, thanks to some high-energy plays. Needs to work on his efficiency in the final third.
Gabriel Jesus – 7
The Brazilian had multiple opportunities to score but was guilty of being too selfish at times. Didn’t get the goal that he was looking for, and should be replaced by Aguero for their next fixture.
Raheem Sterling – 8
The English sensation continued his excellent goalscoring run by scoring his 7th league goal of the campaign. Could’ve had more goals, but did well to break the deadlock in the second half.
Substitutes
Angelino – 6
Came on in the final 20 minutes of the tie, but by that time, City were already well in control. Didn’t have the impact he would’ve been hoping for.
Phil Foden – 6
Brought on to switch things around in the middle of the park. He impressed with his passing and movement in the middle of the park.
Sergio Aguero – 6
Replaced Raheem Sterling for the final 15 minutes or so of the tie. The Argentine striker didn’t have much to do after coming on.
