Manchester City 3: Oscar Bobb (33′), Maximo Perrone (46′), Erling Haaland (57′).
Celtic 4: Nicholas Kuhn (13′, 36′), Kyogo Furuhashi (44′), Luis Palma (68′).
Here are the City player ratings as Manchester City went down to Celtic 4-3 in an entertaining affair at the Kenan Memorial Stadium in North Carolina. The game was the first hit out for Manchester City’s players as they step up preparations for the 24/25 season.
Pep Guardiola named an inexperienced starting lineup as he gave opportunities to City’s youngsters to impress. This was apparent at the back as City lined up with an inexperienced back four. Celtic took full advantage of this in the first half as they got in behind the inexperienced City defence to take a 3-1 lead into the interval. A brace from Nicholas Kuhn and a quality finish from Kyogo Furuhashi saw Celtic score three in the first half. Oscar Bobb scored City’s only goal of the first half which capped off a promising first-half display from the Norwegian international.
Manchester City dominated the early stages of the second half and we’re level within 12 minutes of the restart. A quality finish from Maximo Perrone made it 3-2 after some brilliant play from Oscar Bobb. Erling Haaland made it 3-3 after heading home a quality cross from Oscar Bobb. Joel Ndala made the goal with a sublime show of dribbling in the build-up.
Celtic would score the winner in the 68th minute. Another quick break saw the Scottish champions get in behind the City defence. Luis Palma tapped in the winner after Celtic had sprung City’s offside trap.
All told it was a good hitout for Pep Guardiola’s side. There were some promising signs from the youngsters and also plenty to work on going forward. Here are the City player ratings from an entertaining affair.
City player ratings
Stefan Ortega-6/10: Could do little about the three goals he conceded.
Rico Lewis-6.5/10: A polished display from Lewis. Looks set for a bigger role next season.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey-6/10: Simpson-Pusey will learn from the experience. It is obvious he has talent based on his showing.
Luke Mbete-5.5/10: Caught too high for Celtic’s opener and it wasn’t the best display from Mbete.
Josh Wilson-Esbrand-5/10: A similar type of game to that of Luke Mbete. All three of Celtic’s first-half goals came down City’s left but Wilson-Esbrand did well in possession.
Kalvin Phillips-4/10: A poor performance from the England international. Looked lost at times before being replaced at halftime.
Nico O’Reilly-6.5/10: The youngster showed some glimpses of quality in his first senior start for City. Clearly has the talent to succeed at the highest level.
James McAtee-6/10: A solid display from McAtee. He wasn’t spectacular nor was he poor before being substituted.
Oscar Bobb-9/10: Scored one and set up City’s other two in a stunning performance. By far City’s man-of-the-match.
Jack Grealish-7/10: Grealish looks set for a big 24/25 season. Appears fit and eager to have a big season based on his display against Celtic.
Erling Haaland-7/10: Grabbed his goal and on another day could’ve had a hat trick. Looks fit and ready for a big season.
Substitutes
Ederson-6/10: Had very little to do and could do little to prevent Celtic’s fourth goal.
Jadel Katongo-6/10: Defended well when introduced in the second half.
Callum Doyle-7/10: Probably City’s best centre-back on the night.
Mahamadou Susoho-6/10: A nice performance after coming on at halftime. Showed some nice glimpses of what he is capable of.
Jacob Wright-6/10: Some nice touches at times.
Maximo Perrone-7/10: Scored one and looks to have matured as a player after spending last season out on loan.
Ben Knight-6/10: A nice little cameo after coming on in the second half.
Micah Hamilton-6/10: Put in an energetic display after coming on.
Joel Ndala- 7/10: Looked dangerous from the moment he came on. His play to set up Bobb for Haaland’s header was superb.
