Man City player ratings vs Hoffenheim: Who impressed and who did not?
After a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Lyon on matchday one, Pep Guardiola’s men got their Champions League campaign back on track with a 2-1 victory over Hoffenheim away from home.
Hoffenheim, who made their first appearance in the group stages of the Champions League, got off to the perfect start with Ishak Belfodil putting the home team in the driver’s seat in the first minute of the game. However, their lead did not last long and Sergio Aguero equalized for the Citizens in the 8th minute.
Despite enjoying 67% of the possession, Manchester City found it difficult to turn their territorial domination into something fruitful as the home team defended with a lot of resolution until David Silva took advantage of some sloppy defending to score the winner in the 87th minute.
Manchester City player ratings
Ederson Moraes (6/10)
The Brazilian did not have much to do but nearly committed a blunder by missing his header after charging out of his penalty area.
Kyle Walker (6.5/10)
He had a decent game, looked solid at the back and ventured forward to link the play with Raheem Sterling down the right.
Nicolas Otamendi (7/10)
Looked solid and composed at the back and cut out the attacks with authority.
Vincent Kompany (6/10)
Had a decent game but was a bit rusty and sluggish to react when the attackers piled on the pressure.
Aymeric Laporte (6.5/10)
He found it difficult to adapt to a left-back position and gave the ball away in dangerous areas; made some good tackles and interceptions and contributed a lot to the attacking play.
David Silva (7.5/10)
Bullied the defence with his crisp and precise passing and made aggressive runs behind the backline. Contributed a lot to the build-up play and scored the all-important winner in the dying stages of the game.
Fernandinho (6/10)
The Brazilian had a good game and kept the ball moving in the midfield with his good range of passing; was a handful for the opposition with his physicality.
Ilkay Gundogan (6.5/10)
He did well to pass the ball accurately and made some good attacking runs. Gundogan also combined effectively with his teammates before being subbed due to a hamstring issue.
Leroy Sane (8/10)
He was arguably one of City’s standout performers of the day. The German was a lively presence down the left and gave the defenders a tough time with his lung-busting runs and dribbling skills. He also created a lot of chances and should have had a penalty when he was tripped by the goalkeeper in the second half.
Raheem Sterling (6.5/10)
Very influential in the first half with some impressive runs down the right and had a shot on goal deflected away; did not see much of the ball in the second half.
Sergio Aguero (8/10)
Scored the equalizer with a clinical finish and could have had another two in the first half but his curling effort was tipped over by the goalkeeper. Although he dropped a bit deep in the second half, he couldn’t get enough power on his header to find the net.
Substitutes
John Stones (6/10) (on for Nicolas Otamendi)
Made some good interceptions and passed the ball around with purpose.
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Bernardo Silva (6/10) (on for Ilkay Gundogan)
Was a lively presence down the right and troubled the defenders with some energetic runs down the left.
Riyad Mahrez (N/A) (on for Raheem Sterling)
Did not have much time to make an impact
