Player Ratings: Bayern Munich 1-1 (1-4) Manchester City (Champions League Quarter-Final Second Leg)

Manchester City secured progression to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the third consecutive season with a solid draw against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.

Playing in front of a raucous Allianz Arena, the hosts were the stronger side in the opening
45 minutes, with Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman testing City keeper Ederson amidst a host of shooting opportunities for the German champions.

However, the two biggest moments of the opening half came from City. A through ball from Kevin De Bruyne picked out Erling Haaland, whose strength was too much to cope for for Dayot Upamecano, with the defender bringing the forward down and receiving a red card – only for the offside flag against Haaland to save the Frenchman’s blushes.

The Bayern man did not escape a second time as an Ilkay Gundogan strike deflected off his
arm and the referee pointed for a spot kick, much to the home crowd’s displeasure. They
were happier a few minutes later though, with the delay before the kick being taken
perhaps weighing on the mind of Haaland – the Norwegian missed the penalty for the first
time in his young Manchester City career.

The second half followed much the same pattern of Bayern Munich domination, but the City
threat on the break only grew and paid off just before the hour mark. An Ederson save
allowed another breakaway, with De Bruyne and Haaland once again linking up.

Upamecano’s slip allowed the striker one-on-one with Yann Sommer, and this time he made
no mistake – the 48th goal of his unbelievable season.

The match seemed to be drawing to an uneventful close, but there was time for an awfully
strange decision to award the hosts a penalty. Sadio Mane had the ball in a wide area, and it
struck Manuel Akanji’s hand from point-blank range, which was deemed reason enough for
a spot-kick that Joshua Kimmich duly dispatched.

City saw out the rest of the match comfortably, sealing progression to the next round,
where Real Madrid and the ghosts of last season await. On this tie’s evidence, it could be
quite the spectacle.

Here’s how we rated the Manchester City performances from a successful night in Europe for the Premier League champions:

Ederson – 8.5 (MOTM)

An unusually busy night for the Brazilian but he rose to the occasion with a host
of fine stops to keep Bayern at bay.

Manuel Akanji – 7.5

A lot was asked of him in a defensive capacity but he answered almost every question thrown his direction. Only slightly marked down due to the dubious penalty awarded to the hosts.

Ruben Dias – 8

Marshalled the defence superbly. Even stepped into midfield on occasion to win the ball
back. A commanding display at the heart of City’s backline from the Portuguese.

Nathan Ake – 6.5

Held his own although he struggled to contain Coman, especially in the opening stages. Worrying for City that he came off with an apparent hamstring injury ahead of key games against Sheffield United and Arsenal.

John Stones – 7

Realised he wasn’t having success in a solely midfield role so he split his time between the middle of the park and right back, looking more comfortable in a dual role.

Rodri – 7.5

One or two loose touches, although those are permissible due to the heavy pressure he was
under. Picked some good passes and was generally calm on the ball.

Just the 12 #UCL goals this season for @ErlingHaaland. 🤖⚽️ @btsportfootball pic.twitter.com/J4ZV40URCZ

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) April 19, 2023

Kevin De Bruyne – 7

Wasn’t at his free-flowing best, but his deadly relationship with Haaland was City’s main threat to goal. De Bruyne came up with the goods once again for Pep Guardiola, setting up Haaland for City’s only goal on the night.

Ilkay Gundogan – 7.5

Did a lot of tidy work for the visitors, particularly in transition. Helped regain control of the game in midfield after a frantic start to the game for City.

Bernardo Silva – 7.5

Worked his socks off as always, and coped with the additional attention of Cancelo and Sane
well. His ball control and dribbling skills were on show time and again as he tiptoed past Bayern’s players as if they weren’t there throughout the 90 minutes.

Erling Haaland – 8

May have missed that penalty but demonstrated a masterclass in hold-up play and bagged
City’s only goal to send his side through.

Jack Grealish – 7

Not his most notable display but he maintained possession tidily and helped City keep Bayern away from their half towards the closing stages.

Substitutes:

Aymeric Laporte – 7

Picked up a yellow card for a pretty strong foul after he came on but the rest of his defensive work was top notch.

Julian Alvarez – 6.5

Had a few decent moments of link-up, although could have been more decisive in and
around the box.

Kyle Walker – N/A