Player Ratings: Manchester City 2-0 Newcastle (Premier League)

Manchester City put the pressure back on league-leaders Arsenal this afternoon after they beat fifth-placed Newcastle 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola’s side opened the scoring after just 15 minutes. Phil Foden picked up the ball around 25-yards from goal, and showed dazzling feet to take the ball past four Newcastle defenders before finishing a deflected effort past Nick Pope.

After a rough patch, where Newcastle threatened more than once with an equaliser, Manchester City doubled their lead through Bernardo Silva’s poked attempt.

Here’s how we rated each individual player’s performance!

Starting XI

Ederson – 5

Despite some of Newcastle’s scuffed chances, Ederson didn’t really have much to save. However, his distribution was oddly poor today with many long balls straying out for a Newcastle throw-in, similar to David De Gea.

Kyle Walker – 6

Not particularly good on the ball, Kyle Walker was sloppy on a good couple of occasions however multiple back-post clearances from crosses bump his score up.

Manuel Akanji – 6.5

Partnering Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji was solid today. Nothing unbelievable but a good performance nonetheless.

Ruben Dias – 7.5

Another great display from Ruben Dias today. The Portuguese centre-half proved today just how much the Blues do miss him when he’s not there. Newcastle did pressure City multiple times, but the leadership of Dias helped City to a clean sheet. One could argue, without Dias, City doesn’t come out of that game unscathed.

Nathan Ake – 7

In what was perhaps as valuable as a goal itself, Ake made a stunning block to deny Sean Longstaff just moments after the opener. The Dutchman’s impressive form continued throughout the game as he put in a great defensive shift.

Rodri – 8

A simply superb performance from Rodri, again. On the ball he was simply world-class, offering for the ball at all times and even bailing City out on a few occasions too. The Spaniard did grab the assist for the opener too.

Kevin De Bruyne – 5

Unfortunately, De Bruyne just looked off it today. Nothing seemed to come off for the Belgian, whether it be corners, simple slipped passes or even with the ball at his feet. Yes, he has became a victim of the ridiculously high standards he’s set himself, but for any standards, he was poor today. De Bruyne was subbed for Bernardo Silva 65 minutes in.

Ilkay Gundogan – 6

Similar to Akanji, Gundogan wasn’t anything brilliant today but did offer up some good pieces of play. A credit-worthy performance.

Phil Foden – 8.5 (MOTM)

Scorer of City’s first goal, Foden was once again immense all afternoon. That’s now his fourth goal in the past three games and you can tell. Following a tough first half to the season, the youngster’s confidence is now through the roof and we’re finally seeing the Phil Foden we all know and love.

Phil Foden vs Newcastle:

1 Goal
39 Touches
23 Accurate Passes
95.8% Pass Accuracy
6 Ground Duels Won
5 Successful Dribbles
4 Ball Recoveries
2 Clearances
2 Shots On Target
1 Tackle
1 Key Pass
1 Aerial Duel Won
1 Accurate Long Ball pic.twitter.com/Bafw9lyK4O

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) March 4, 2023

Erling Haaland – 6.5

Although his runs weren’t found, for the majority of the game, Haaland still played his part in City’s victory. It’s clear to see how far the Norweigan’s build-play has come, it was great this afternoon and he was rewarded with an assist for City’s second goal.

Jack Grealish – 7.5

Another good shift from Grealish. He’s proved most of the fanbase wrong since the World Cup and today was no expectation with exceptional ball retention and work rate.

Substitutes

Bernardo Silva – 7

Brought on just to keep the ball better than De Bruyne did, Silva did that and more by crucially scoring City’s second goal.