As it happened :
Manchester City yet again showed why they are THE team to beat, as they notched their 13th successive win on the trot. West Ham United had taken the lead from a well-taken corner through Ogbonna. But City had other plans, when, with over 80% possession in the second half and just 11 minutes after the break, Nicholas Otamendi put them level. Yet another late goal, this time from David Silva made sure City maintained the lead in the first place.
Manchester City Player Ratings-
Ederson: 8/10
Made a fine save from Antonio’s shot but wasn’t too troubled otherwise.
Kyle Walker: 8/10
Walker worked really hard and provided a lot of width to the City attack, especially in the second half.
Eliaquim Mangala: 6/10
Not strong enough, especially against Sakho and Arnautovic but there was no lack of effort.
Nicholas Otamendi: 8/10
Showed a poacher’s instinct while scoring the goal. While defending too, he was rock solid in one-on-one situations as he held his nerve and defended with discipline.
Fabian Delph: 7/10
A sturdy, gritty performance by him. Delph was quick to run back, track players down and break the opposition attack and showed his versatility.
Danilo: 4/10
West Ham dropped deep while defending but regardless of that, with all the time to pick a pass, Danilo was rather casual in the final third.
David Silva: 8/10
Never has a bad game, does he? He was always in and around the opposition box, played the ball around with ease and took the second goal in world-class fashion, in spite of being fouled.
Kevin De Bruyne: 7/10
He couldn’t find the inch-perfect passes but played an exquisite one to David Silva for the winner.
Leroy Sane: 5.5/10
His passing just wasn’t good enough, both with the through balls and the crosses. Even when he shifted to the right, he got his shots away but never created any chance or tested Adrian.
Raheem Sterling: 7/10
He pegged the West Ham players back, won the ball higher on the pitch and tried to conjure an opening without much luck.
Sergio Aguero: 6/10
Didn’t quite receive the ideal service but tried to get involved in the build-up play without much luck.
Substitutes –
Gabriel Jesus: 8.5/10
A sharp turn and a cross to assist Otamendi’s goal and looked the liveliest after coming on.
Fernandinho: NA
Was brought on just after Silva’s goal in order to shore things up.
Bernardo Silva: NA
Barely had a touch, came on just to eat up time.
