Manchester City were made to toil hard for the three points by a determined-looking Aston Villa side who defended valiantly until the final whistle. The Sky Blues were two goals to the good at the conclusion of the game with goals from Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan.
Aston Villa were resilient and determined as ever and were certain of producing some sort of positive result from their trip to Manchester. The visitors could have scored a goal or two tonight had they taken their chances cleanly. This victory has placed the Cityzens right on top of the Premier League points table.
Here’s how Manchester City players are rated in their 2-0 victory against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium –
Manchester City Player Ratings Against Aston Villa
Manchester City Player Ratings Against Aston Villa
GK : Ederson Moraes – 7/10
A well-deserved clean-sheet for Ederson who was neat and tidy with the ball at his feet.
RB : Kyle Walker – 6/10
Walker made way for Oleksandr Zinchenko in the closing moments of the first half after picking up an injury.
CB : Ruben Dias – 8/10
The defender had a comfortable night at the heart of Manchester City’s defence. Dias was alert to the Aston Villa counter-attacks and always smelt the danger from far. The defender also made an amazing clearance inside the six-yard box.
CB : John Stones – 7/10
Stones had a satisfactory night. The player was caught up the field on a couple of occasions and that’s not something Pep Guardiola would be fond of viewing.
LB : João Cancelo – 8/10
The Portuguese defender had a stunning night. Cancelo almost scored a beautiful goal and also nearly set up a few goals. Defensively too, Cancelo was reliable at the back.
CM : Kevin De Bruyne – 7/10
Played only an hour of football today but all of it was mesmerising to watch. De Bruyne made way for Gabriel Jesus in the second half of the match.
CM : Rodri – 7/10
Rodri was extremely calm and composed on the ball. The tall midfielder also assisted Bernardo Silva’s 79th-minute goal
CM : İlkay Gündoğan – 7/10
The German-made a few haunting runs into the Aston Villa half which made him the focal point of most attacks.
RW : Bernardo Silva – 8/10
Silva should have scored very early on in the game. Nevertheless, he fired home the opening goal and got City right on top in the fixture.
ST : Raheem Sterling – 7/10
Sterling had an average evening today as his involvement in the game gradually declined as the clock ticked on. Guardiola must have expected a bit more from Sterling on the night.
LW : Phil Foden – 7/10
The youngster was vibrant and lively up front but the end product seemed to be lacking the quality.
Substitutes
RB : Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7/10
Had a decent night post coming on to replace Walker at the right-back position. Zinchenko was firm in defence
ST : Gabriel Jesus – 7/10
A lively appearance on the field of play as he came on to replace De Bruyne.
