Manchester City took on Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium on Monday night, looking to earn another win which would take them a step closer to the Premier League title. Pep Guardiola’s men got off to a dream start when David Silva scored in the 10th minute to put the visitors ahead in the contest. They kept on the pressure but weren’t able to add to their lead before half-time.
The Citizens sealed the points early in the second half when David Silva scored again in the 50th minute from close range to hand City a comfortable 2-0 victory on the night.
Let’s take a look at how each Manchester City player fared during the contest.
GK: Ederson – 6/10
The Brazilian keeper didn’t have much to do in the match. However, he did the little things right to keep a well-deserved clean sheet.
RB: Kyle Walker – 6/10
He was defensively solid but failed to be productive in the final third. The English defender got a glorious chance in the second half but his shot went high and wide.
CB: Vincent Kompany – 7/10
The Belgian international was solid at the back for City and commanded his own half to keep the Potters attack at bay on the night.
CB: Nicolás Otamendi – 7/10
He was equally brilliant at the heart of the City defence and did well to earn another clean sheet away from home.
LB: Alexander Zinchenko – 6/10
He put in a tireless shift on the left flank and coped well defensively. However, the youngster struggled with some of his passes in the opposition half and was guilty of squandering possession on a number of occasions during the course of the match.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – 7/10
The Belgian created some wonderful chances for his teammates and bossed the City midfield. His delivery from dead-ball situations was dangerous while his desire to win the ball was second to none.
CM: Fernandinho – 6/10
Another tireless display at the centre of the park for the Citizens. The Brazilian did all the dirty work in midfield but his shots from long range left a lot to be desired.
CM: David Silva – 9/10
The Spaniard scored two goals with two great finishes using his left boot. He pulled the strings in midfield and was exceptional during the contest.
RM: Raheem Sterling – 7/10
A welcome return to Pep Guardiola’s starting eleven, the English speedster got the assist for City’s first goal and was unlucky not to score on the night.
ST: Gabriel Jesus – 7/10
The Brazilian put in a great shift and worked the channels well to create spaces in the opposition half for his teammates to exploit.
LM: Leroy Sané – 6/10
He tried his best to get involved in the goal-scoring act but was unable to be productive in the final third.
Substitutes:
RM: Bernardo Silva – N/A
He came off the bench for the final few minutes to provide some fresh pair of legs in place of Raheem Sterling but did not have enough time to make an impact.
CM: İlkay Gündoğan – N/A
He came on in injury-time to replace Gabriel Jesus and hardly had any time to make his mark in the game.
