MAN CITY 5 – 0 Blackburn – PLAYER RATINGS
16 Jan
Pantilimon - One superb save in the second half to keep a clean sheet and his handling and distribution were first class throughout in challenging conditions - 7
Richards - Good to see him back. Not tested a great deal defensively and that gave him licence to join our attacks. His passing to Navas was lazy on occasions and he doesn’t time his overlaps as well as Zabaleta, but it was a decent performance after missing the last few games with injury - 6
Lescott - Stayed at the back, dealt with any minimal Blackburn threat and gave the ball to those ahead of him efficiently - 6
Nastasic – As with Lescott, he spent much of the game watching our more creative players try to break down the stubborn visitors - 6
Clichy – Provided plenty of energy on the left, getting forward to support our attacks and putting over the odd dangerous cross - 7
Garcia - Kept play ticking over in the middle without fuss - 6
Fernandinho - Afforded more freedom than normal to burst forward, thanks to the presence of Garcia sitting deeper, but didn’t have much of an impact until his sublime cross for the opening goal. It was the only moment of inspiration in a drab first half and it set us on our way - 6
Navas - Drifted infield too much early on but stayed wider after the break and was more of a threat. A couple of perfect deliveries into the area which our strikers could attack - 7
Milner - Started and ended on the left, with a spell more centrally in between. Saw plenty of the ball but for all his endeavours, his end product was lacking a touch - 6
Džeko - A very average first half in which his finishing was wild but then mirrored the general team performance by showing a marked improvement after the break. Took his first strike superbly and he was more lively and involved, but must show than intent from the start of games - 7
Negredo - His first goal was a brave and powerful header whilst his second was a more delicate, cultured finish to kill of Blackburn’s hopes. His first touch, whether in bringing the ball under control or laying it off to others, was impeccable and he was the link between midfield and attack - 8
Subs
Kolarov - His outstanding whipped cross from deep set up Negredo at the start of the second half and he clearly relished the freedom that came from a more advanced role - 7
Aguero - Back with a bang! His first touch brought the ball under control and his second swept it into the corner. Even after that, he was bright and always looked to run at the visiting defenders - 7
Huws - A debut for him and it’s always nice to see Academy graduates make the step up - 6
No comments yet