Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest 2-nil at the Etihad this afternoon in a spiteful clash. The City player ratings are graded slightly differently due to the nature of the second half.
It was a game of two halves as City picked up their 6th consecutive win of the Premier League season. The champions dominated the first half and goals from Phil Foden and Erling Haaland had the treble winners cruising at half-time.
A moment of madness from Rodri which saw him sent off at the start of the second half gave Forest a lifeline. Steve Cooper’s side pressed for a way back into the game with their numerical advantage, but a stubborn City defence and Ederson maintained City’s perfect start to the season. Here are the City player ratings from a tough encounter.
Player Ratings:
Ederson: 8/10- Was having a relatively quiet day until the end of the game. Made one outstanding save late to deny Forest as they pushed for a way back into the game
Kyle Walker: 7/10- A fantastic lay-off to Phil Foden for City’s opener. Did his job at the back in the second half as the treble winners held on to what they had.
Manuel Akanji: 6.5/10- Was troubled by Taiwo Awoniyi at times before the Forest striker was substituted. Helped the City rearguard keep their clean sheet and snuff out Forest.
Ruben Dias: 7.5/10- Showed all of his leadership as Nottingham Forest pressed for a way back into the game. Some crucial blocks in a determined performance from Dias.
Josko Gvardiol: 7/10- Some sloppy passes in the first half as City dominated. Was strong at the back when the switch to the back 5 was made. Is growing with every appearance.
Rodri: 4/10- His first-half performance was an 8/10. Loses all of that due to his moment of madness for the red card. Something for Rodri to learn from after so many plaudits over ts the past 12 months.
Matheus Nunes: 8/10- Was fantastic all game. A quality assist for Haaland’s goal and his drive from midfield was key in the City’s dominant first half. Showed the defensive side of his game when City needed him in the second half.
Phil Foden: 8.5/10- A man of the match display with Gareth Southgate watching. His finish for the first goal was quality. He was a constant menace throughout before being substituted late on.
Julian Alvarez: 7/10- He was a constant thorn in Forest’s side as City dominated the first half. Had to be substituted after Rodri’s red card as Pep wanted to reinforce the defence.
Jeremy Doku: 7/10- Another quality showing from Doku. Has shown plenty in his appearances for City so far. Suffered the same fate as Alvarez after Rodri’s red card.
Erling Haaland: 8/10- Took his goal as he usually does. Haaland gets an 8/10 for how he led the line and never stopped working with City’s back against the wall.
Substitutes-
Kalvin Phillips: 6/10- Finally got an opportunity after the red card for Rodri. Wasn’t a game to show his best but did his job and offered the odd threat when marauding forward. He should now get more chances with Rodri’s suspension.
Nathan Ake: 7/10- Did his job left-back after coming on when Pep Guardiola shifted to a back 5. Almost set up a goal for Haaland as well. Was a typical Ake performance when his team needed him.
Jack Grealish: N/A- Not on long enough to mark.
