Manchester City 4 (Ilkay Gundogan 8′, Phil Foden 15′, Erling Haaland 58′, James McAtee 74′)
Slovan Bratislava 0.
Here are the City player ratings as Manchester City cruised to a 4-nil win over Slovan Bratislava. Pep Guardiola named a strong starting eleven and his team’s performance was fitting of the lineup named.
First-half half goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden set Manchester City on their way. In truth the world champions should’ve been up by 4 or 5 at halftime such was their dominance of the opening 45 minutes.
The second half would follow a similar pattern to that of the first. Goals from Erling Haaland and James McAtee sealed a comfortable victory for Manchester City. The assists from Rico Lewis and Phil Foden for Haaland and McAtee’s goals were both pieces of individual brilliance.
Here are the City player ratings from City’s opening win of the Champions League league phase.
City player ratings
Stefan Ortega- 6/10: Besides an early scare he barely had anything to do. Was good in possession when required.
Rico Lewis-9/10: Yet another fantastic performance from Lewis. Dominated in midfield and his assist for Haaland’s goal was sublime.
John Stones-7.5/10: Stones’ best performance of the season to date. Very good in possession and untroubled at the back.
Manuel Akanji-7/10: Taken off when the game was over but was good once again at the back.
Josko Gvardiol- 6.5/10: Was good in possession and untroubled at the back. However, it was again noticeable that teams are getting after the gap left by Gvardiol when City lose possession.
Ilkay Gundogan- 7.5/10: Scored his first goal since returning to the club and put in a quality performance.
Matheus Nunes- 6.5/10: I was hoping to see more from Nunes throughout the game. Showed some nice touches at times but was on the periphery of the game for the most part.
Savinho-6.5/10: He did some nice things at times but he wasn’t as dynamic as previous showings this season.
Phil Foden-9/10: A superb performance from Foden. He scored one and set up McAtee’s goal with a sublime ball. Looks back to his best based on his performance tonight.
Jeremy Doku-8/10: Grabbed an early assist and was always dangerous on the right wing. If his end product improves, he will be a world-beater.
Erling Haaland-7/10: Grabbed his goal in the second half with a composed piece of play. Could’ve scored two or three in a busy performance.
🚨🚨| GOAL: HAALAND MAKES IT THREE!!
Slovan Bratislava 0-3 Man City
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) October 1, 2024
Substitutes
Ruben Dias- 6/10: Tidy in possession when he came on. Didn’t have any defensive work to do of note.
James McAtee-7.5/10: Had some nice touches off the bench and scored his first goal for the club in a special moment.
⚽️GOAL🇪🇺 | Slovan Bratislava 0-4 Manchester City | James McAteepic.twitter.com/agSuBFpbMu
— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) October 1, 2024
Jack Grealish-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.
Kyle Walker-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.
