MAN CITY 3 – 1 Liverpool – PLAYER RATINGS

Hart - In difficult conditions, his punching was decisive and authoritative. Made two stops at his near post from Sturridge and almost pulled off a miracle to prevent Liverpool from grabbing a consolation - 7

Zabaleta - It was as if he’d never been away. He picked his moments to rampage down the right and invariably made an impact, blasting one shot over before being involved in Jovetic’s second goal. A couple of crunching tackles at the back - 7

Kompany - Sturridge’s movement and Sterling’s pace caused City’s defence the odd moment of panic, but our captain stood firm and remained in control. His positioning on crossing was excellent, allowing him to make clearance after clearance, and he pushed out from the back well - 8

Demichelis - His reading of the game continues to captivate. Made countless interceptions as Liverpool looked to play delicate throughballs between the lines. His distribution was very sloppy, however, and he was shrugged off the ball far too easily by Sturridge for the visitors’ goal - 7

Clichy - Given the nod ahead of Kolarov due to his pace, he produced a commanding showing down the left. Sound against Sterling, matching him along the ground and tucking in nicely to support our centre-backs, he also contributed on the attack and was energetic in his closing down - 8

Fernando - Two games in and he looks like a superb addition to the squad. He’s unfussy in what he does, but he does it exquisitely. Sits deep, breaks up play, shields the defence and starts attacks. He’s far more than just a bruiser in the middle and among a sea of strong City showings, he was my man of the match - 8

Y. Touré - A fairly quiet game for Yaya. Pretty enough with his passing but wasn’t the dominant figure he can be in these games. Involved in plenty of intricate triangles with Silva and Nasri and helped us established control in the second half - 6

Nasri - His performance reflected that of the team: comfortable and with flashes of brilliance, but not at peak form. Played a part in the opening two goals and worked tirelessly on both sides - 7

Silva - Always full of invention and drive, but there were times when his final ball was a little wasteful. That shouldn’t take away from what was, in terms of movement and awareness and ability to influence the game, another strong display - 7

Jovetic - After a slightly frenetic performance against Newcastle, he needed these two goals to settle him down. His first was a result of great anticipation and his second came following a lovely flick and then his desire to burst into the box. Sparkling - 8

Džeko - Covered plenty of ground in what was arguably his hardest working display in a City shirt. Decent hold-up play without being anything special, he used his physicality well for a change and showed a promising understanding with Jovetic - 7

Subs

Navas - Great vision and execution to release Aguero for the third goal and showed how direct he can be by constantly running at Moreno - 6

Aguero - Not the worst introduction! Still not fully match fit but showed how sharp he is over ten yards by darting clear, having the strength to hold off a defender and then finish calmly - 6

Fernandinho - Beefed up the midfield for the final few minutes - No time to mark

Follow @viewfromablue