Manchester City clashed heads with Southampton at the Etihad earlier this evening hoping to secure all three points on their home turf. The hosts started the game on a strong note as Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling went quite close to getting their names on the scoresheet in the first half. The visitors decided to fight back in the early stages of the second forty-five minutes, and they could have potentially opened the scoreline if their penalty was not taken away by VAR. The Citizens ramped up the pressure in the closing moments yet again, but Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men managed to grind out a 0-0 draw.
Let’s take a look at how each Manchester City player fared during the clash against the Saints.
Manchester City Players Rated In Draw Vs Southampton
Ederson Moraes 7
This evening, the Brazilian shot-stopper had a relatively relaxing time between the sticks as he was hardly called into action.
Kyle Walker 6
The English right-back was lucky enough to have his penalty and red card decision overturned by VAR, as it could have potentially cost his side a couple of points.
Nathan Ake 6.5
The Dutch centre-back did a solid job defensively at the heart of Manchester City’s defence tonight. He made some crucial interceptions and clean tackles to keep things tidy at the back.
Ruben Dias 7
The Portuguese defender was quick to read opponents’ movements in the box and put an end to it before it was too late. He paired well with Ake.
Joao Cancelo 6.5
The Portuguese wing-back impressed the fans with his defensive contributions, but he could have done a bit more to utilise the space that Jack Grealish was creating down the left flank.
Fernandinho 5.5
The 36-year-old holding midfielder started the game in a strong fashion, but he struggled to keep up with the pace of the Southampton attackers as the match went on. He lost the ball way too frequently at the centre of the park, which could have cost his side on a couple of occasions.
Bernardo Silva 6
He didn’t offer anything spectacular going forward, but he had a few half-chances.
Ilkay Gundogan 6
The German midfielder had his fair share of goal-scoring opportunities in the first half of the game, but he sorted to a more defensive role for the second forty-five minutes.
Jack Grealish 7
The former Aston Villa talisman created all sorts of menace for the Southampton defenders down the left wing as he carved out several goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates. However, it never really looked like he had a goal in him.
Gabriel Jesus 6
The Brazilian star looks threatening in his new role down the right flank.
Raheem Sterling 6.5
Sterling looked quite lively throughout the ninety minutes; however, he failed to produce the clinical touch in the final third time and again. He even put the ball in the back of the net at the 90th-minute-mark, but it was later ruled offside after a quick VAR review.
SUBSTITUTES (Manchester City Players Rated In Draw Vs Southampton)
Kevin De Bruyne 6.5
He played some nice passes after coming on.
Riyad Mahrez 6
The Algerian international added energy to City’s attacks.
Phil Foden 6
He went pretty close to securing all three points for his side.
