Every player rated as Man City beat Man Utd 2-1 in enthralling Manchester derby at the Etihad

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Manchester City leapfrog Liverpool to go top of the Premier League table after emphatic 2-1 victory against cross-city rivals Manchester United.

It did not take long for City assert authority on the match, dominating the early proceedings with David Silva netting his first home goal in a Manchester derby after firing past David De Gea in the twelfth minute.

City would double their advantage just after the restart, Sergio Aguero linking up expertly with Riyad Mahrez before unleashing a rocket which left David De Gea stunned and rooted to the spot.

However, United put themselves back in with a fighting chance after substitute Romelu Lukaku won a penalty, which Anthony Martial converted convincingly, though City would not lie down and Ilkay Gundogan restored his side’s two goal advantage in the dying embers.

And so after another riveting affair at the Etihad Stadium, how did the players rate in this gruelling Manchester derby?

Manchester City

Ederson – 4 – Largely a spectator in the first-half, City’s gloveman had looked a composed head between the sticks, but made the rash and unnecessary decision to rush out and concede a penalty.

Kyle Walker – 7 – A consistent threat down the right hand side of the pitch, Walker stood up to the task of dealing with Martial well, defending with tenacity and attacking with vigour.  

John Stones – 7 – Formed a formidable partnership alongside Laporte, the England international – playing on the right of the partnership – looked comfortable on the ball and stifled Rashford for large parts of the match.   

Aymeric Laporte – 8 – A commanding performance, Laporte was industrious and effective at the back against a lively United attack, but also never shied away from getting forward and making himself available to bolster the midfield.    

Benjamin Mendy – 7 – Much like Walker, the full-backs attacked at sheer will, but also defended resolutely enough to keep United’s attacking trident quiet in the first 45 minutes.   

Bernardo Silva – 9 – Alongside his namesake, the Silva partnership worked wonders in tandem, with Bernardo gliding around the pitch with an unwavering elegance; the Portuguese was influential in the final third and teed up David for the opener, and then Gundogan for the third.    

Fernandinho – 8 – The metronome in front of the Cirt back four, Fernandinho worked well to break up play, procure the ball, and anchor the midfield, but even more impressive was his distribution as he produced two defence-splitting passes within the first five minutes – an authoritative performance.

David Silva – 9 – A typical Silva performance, the pint-sized magician was at the heart of every attacking City movement, playing with an almost telepathic understanding with his team-mates, and he also took his goal well in the opening exchanges, sending a thunderbolt past De Gea from close range.

Riyad Mahrez – 7 – Caused Shaw a plethora of problems on the right, the Algerian had the second least number of touches of any outfield City player in the first half (31) but always looked threatening when the ball found his feet, and played a magnificent one-two to assist Aguero in the second half.  

Sergio Aguero – 8 – Brilliant hold-up play against a very physical United defence, the Argentine consistently caused havoc in the final third and was rewarded for his hard work after netting a brilliant goal to put his side two to the good.    

Raheem Sterling – 8 – Coming up against his England World Cup team-mate, Sterling was scintillating at times, with Young really struggling to contain the City flier, who continues to show why he is one of Guardiola’s main men.

Substitutes:

Leroy Sane (for Mahrez 61) – 6 – Looked lively when he came on, the German kept Young on his toes and offered a brilliant threat down the right.

Ilkay Gundogan (for Aguero 74) – 6 – Came in the offer more weight to the central midfield and the German done exactly that, making himself available for his team-mates. 

Phil Foden (for Silva 91) – N/A – Came on for the final few minutes.

Manchester United

David De Gea – 4 – Could do little as Silva absolutely pelted the ball in his direction from close range for the opening goal, but certainly could have done more for City’s second, though he was only able to get a modicum of glove on the ball.

Ashley Young – 4 – Struggled against the attacking potency and verve of Sterling, though that was never going to be an easy task for the 33-year-old such is the pace and trickery of the incisive winger. 

Chris Smalling – 4 – Potentially could have conceded two penalties in the first-half and looked far from composed as City continually charged forward with intensity    

Victor Lindelof – 4 – Had been improving in recent weeks, but this was a rather tame and lax performance from the Swede who had an exceedingly difficult time of keeping Aguero quiet.     

Luke Shaw – 4 – The ominous task of trying to thwart Mahrez often proved too difficult for Shaw, and his task was not made any easier when Sane entered the fray as Sterling switched to the right wing and caused even more trouble.

Ander Herrera – 3 – The Spaniard had only previously started one Premier League match and it showed this afternoon as he often faltered under the seismic pressure of City’s pressing, making a number of mistakes before coming off in the second-half.   

Nemanja Matic – 5 – A tame performance from the Serb, he offered a physical presence in the middle of the park but could do little to inspire any form of authority as City ran rings around their eternal rivals.    

Marouane Fellaini – 5 – The double pivot of Matic and Fellaini failed to pay dividends for Mourinho as City controlled the match, but the Belgian was the more efficient of the three central midfielders.  

Jesse Lingard – 5 – A quiet and tentative performance from the England international, Lingard produced more touches than his attacking team-mates during his time on the pitch, though he was largely ineffective before subsequently coming off thirty minutes from the end.

Marcus Rashford – 4 – Had the least number of touches of any outfield United player in the first-half, Rashford really struggled to stamp his authority on the match, often posing an isolated figure up front in the final third.   

Anthony Martial – 5 – United’s best attacking player, the Frenchman was at times anonymous but was always looked a deadly proposition with the ball at his feet, he also netted his fifth consecutive Premier League goal.  

Substitutes:

 

Romelu Lukaku (for Lingard 56) – 7 – Transformed the game upon his introduction, the Belgian immediately changed the tempo of the match and won a penalty within the first few minutes of entering the pitch.

Juan Mata (for Herrera 72) – 5 – Made a substantial impact in Turin during midweek, but could not produce a similar performance in North West England. 

Alexis Sanchez (for Rashford 72) – 5 – Looked like his former self in a central position against Juventus, but his creativity was nullified once more on the wing. 

The post Every player rated as Man City beat Man Utd 2-1 in enthralling Manchester derby at the Etihad appeared first on Squawka News.



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