Those who left the Etihad on Saturday would have known they had just witnessed another classy Manchester City performance. The score ended 3-0 in City’s favour, but let’s be honest; it could have easily been SIX.
I will not repeat the match report as they can be found elsewhere on VMC. On this occasion, the match stats and player ratings, out of a possible ten will suffice.
Submit your own player ratings.
Ederson – 7
Was hardly called upon, except when he had to deal with two of Schurrle’s attempts. When he had the ball at his feet he looked calm, composed and almost lethargic like (or should that read effortlessly).
Ederson Moraes. #mcfc pic.twitter.com/t3EoXdprX7
— MCFC GIF (@mcfcgif) September 15, 2018
Ederson. #EM31 pic.twitter.com/NBNB4zjP5f
— MCFC GIF (@mcfcgif) September 15, 2018
Kyle Walker – 6.5
Had a couple of runs, here and there but it appeared as though he was hardly ever tested? Perhaps it was because the opponents struggled to get hold of the ball.
Nicolas Otamendi – 8
Great to see Niko back in the starting line-up. Was called upon when his perfectly timed left footed challenge nudged the ball away from Vietto boot, just as he was about to pull the trigger on the edge of the box. Pure poetry.
Aymeric Laporte – 6
Not one of his best performances hence the rating. Having said that he wasn’t bad either. Average game by his standards.
Fabian Delph – 7.5
This man defies logic. I mean, he can play in several positions, and when he does, he puts in one hell of a shift. A versatile player? You bet! Never took his eye off the ball – solid as ever.
Fernandinho – 7.5
From the off, he created a beautiful cross before the clock hit two minutes for Sane to tap in City’s first. Remained focused and reliable throughout.
Bernardo Silva – 9
Trickery, pace, dribbles, I mean, what more can he do. Oh and I forget to mention his crosses into the box, all of which troubled Fulham’s defense. He also assisted in David Silva scoring City’s second. This boy is on FIRE!
A complete performance! ???? pic.twitter.com/dartagdc8X
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 15, 2018
David Silva – 9
Similar to Bernardo’s performance, David rocked Fulham to their core. This boy is on FIRE!
Raheem Sterling – 7
Grabbed a reasonably easy goal, hit the crossbar and squandered clear scoring opportunities. He put a shift in but not in the same class as the Silva duo. Not on this occasion anyway.
Sterling! pic.twitter.com/ZpzOHtAiBW
— MCFC GIF (@mcfcgif) September 15, 2018
Sterling 3-0. #mcfc pic.twitter.com/H4YvmMy9fj
— MCFC GIF (@mcfcgif) September 15, 2018
Sergio Aguero – 6
Not for want of trying but I felt he was a few inches off the pace. Having said that did play a part in two of City’s goals.
I can’t quite put my finger on what I’m trying to say. It was as if others shone like a bright light while his sparkle, on occasion, flickered.
Leroy Sane – 8
Critics, especially from his own country can go and ‘do one.’ His personal life may have affected his mood, but that can be said about all of us. On this display, he clearly showed he had lost none of his desire. Pep was right to omit Leroy from the start of the season but was spot on to bring him back. And back he IS.
Sane 1-0. #mcfc pic.twitter.com/FN5DXMW1JT
— MCFC GIF (@mcfcgif) September 15, 2018
Subs
Gabriel Jesus – 5
Replaced Kun on 53 mins.
Missed a golden opportunity to add to the score-line. Never mind, he’ll be back.
Ilkay Gundogan – 5.5
Replaced Delph on 67.
Did okay for the amount of time he was on the field.
Riyad Mahrez – 5
Came on for Sterling – 74 mins.
In my book, the jury is still out on Mahrez. Nothing more to add in case I upset fellow Blues.
The game was 3-0 but before the final whistle, Pep wanted more.
Pep. #mcfc pic.twitter.com/gioxcwfabj
— MCFC GIF (@mcfcgif) September 15, 2018
Etihad Stadium
Premier League
16/09/2018 3:00 pm
Attendance: 53307
Referee: Stuart Attwell
| Manchester City | Fulham | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L Sané (2), D Silva (21), R Sterling (47) | |||||||
| Ederson | Marcus Bettinelli | ||||||
| Kyle Walker | Cyrus Christie | ||||||
| Nicolás Otamendi | Denis Odoi | ||||||
| Aymeric Laporte | Alfie Mawson | ||||||
| Fabian Delph | (67) | Ryan Sessegnon | |||||
| Bernardo Silva | Jean Seri | (56) | |||||
| Fernandinho | Kevin McDonald | ||||||
| David Silva | Stefan Johansen | ||||||
| Raheem Sterling | (74) | Luciano Vietto | (69) | ||||
| Sergio Agüero | (54) | Aleksandar Mitrovic | |||||
| Leroy Sané | André Schürrle | ||||||
Substitutes |
|||||||
| Arijanet Muric | Calum Chambers | ||||||
| John Stones | Floyd Ayité | (69) | |||||
| IIkay Gündogan | (67) | Maxime Le Marchand | |||||
| Riyad Mahrez | (74) | Timothy Fosu-Mensah | |||||
| Gabriel Jesus | (54) | Joe Bryan | |||||
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | André-Frank Zambo Anguissa | (56) | |||||
| Phil Foden | Fabri | ||||||
Game Statistics |
||
| 28 | Goal attempts | 9 |
| 9 | On Target | 3 |
| 10 | Corners | 4 |
| 7 | Fouls | 7 |
| 0 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 64 | % | 35 |