Manchester City 2-1 Brentford: Player ratings as Haaland double seals facile comeback victory

Manchester City overcame Brentford 2-1 at the Etihad in their Premier League clash on Saturday. Erling Haaland netted a brace to cancel out Yoane Wissa’s early goal as the reigning champions extended their winning start to five games.

Just 22 seconds into the clash, Wissa fired the Bees in front with an easy header as City’s defense was in sixes and sevens early on. It also marked the fastest-ever goal against the league title holders.

Needing a quick response, the Sky Blues slowly looked to work their way back into the game, and Erling Haaland pulled them level in the 19th minute after latching onto a through ball from Kevin De Bruyne.

The Norwegian then turned the match around another 13 minutes later, this time with goalkeeper Ederson sending Haaland through with a long ball, which the striker then lobbed over Brentford custodian Mark Flekken for 2-1.

With one eye on their Champions League clash against Inter Milan on Wednesday, Pep Guardiola’s side took their feet off the pedal in the second half, but didn’t let their visitors come back into the game, maintaining a stoic backline.

A fourth consecutive win sealed and City consolidated their position atop the league table with 12 points from a possible 12. As Liverpool, who were the only other side with a 100% win record at the start of the week, dropped points against Nottingham Forest today, it has opened up a three-point gap too. Here are the player ratings for Manchester City and Brentford:

Manchester City Player Ratings vs Brentford

Goalkeeper

Ederson – 7

With five saves, it’s safe to say Ederson had a good game. Although he was caught out earlier on, the Brazilian picked himself up and reasserted his authority. It was a timely reminder of how vital he remains to the side, and what a world-class goalkeeper he still is.

Defenders

Kyle Walker – 6.5

Walker would feel he should’ve done better for Brentford’s early opener, but he regained his composure quickly and looked solid thereafter. He also completed more than 90% of his passes and laid one key pass too, which reflects on his attacking instincts.

John Stones – 6

Not the best day at work for Stones, who made a mess of a clearance that led to Wissa’s first-minute opener for the Bees. Strangely, his contributions remained minimal thereafter, making just two clearances, but zero blocks, interceptions, and tackles.

Manuel Akanji – 6.5

The Swiss international’s excellent sense of positioning was crucial to weathering Brentford’s storm early on, as Akanji jumped into tackles and made a few vital clearances to frustrate their hosts.

Rico Lewis – 5.5

Manchester City’s young gun was visibly unsettled by Brentford’s frantic start to the game. He seemed out of position many times and struggled to compete with his opposite numbers, lacking the pace of recovery. His forward movements didn’t yield anything meaningful either.

Midfielders

Mateo Kovacic – 6.5

The Croatian maestro took some time to find his feet but looked good thereafter. However, one nasty challenge on Wissa saw him earn a yellow and get taken off at half-time. He also completed 97% of his passes in the match.

Ilkay Gundogan – 6

Manchester City’s prodigal son hasn’t marked his return with a bang yet, and today was no different, giving the ball away in the build-up to Brentford’s early opener. But that only seemed to spurn him on, as Gundogan became menacing with the ball at his feet.

Forwards

Savinho – 7.5

Full of flair and panache, Savinho proved to be a real test of Brentford’s defense with his speed, technique, and nimble footwork but missed a gilt-edged opportunity to score his debut goal. Nonetheless, plenty of promise from the youngster, who could be set for stardom under Guardiola’s wings.

Kevin De Bruyne – 7

The Belgian’s link-up play with Haaland was as devastating as it’s always been, even bagging the assist for his second goal, but that was the only highlight of an otherwise frustrating outing for the creator-in-chief.

Jack Grealish – 7

After returning from a productive international break, Grealish was full of confidence and it showed in his performance today. He was always willing to make things happen and never seemed to run out of energy. He laid one key pass and three crosses in the game.

Erling Haaland – 10

The Norwegian ace netted a sensational brace to turn the tie around in no time. His first was a deflection off Ethan Pinnock, before executing a cheeky lob over Flekken for 2-1. Make that nine goals in the Premier League already this season, at least six more than any other player.

Substitutes

Josko Gvardiol – 6.5

The Croatian replaced Lewis for the second half and helped City continue their momentum.

Rodri – 7

Replacing Kovacic, Rodri circulated the ball well in the second half and laid one key pass too.

Ruben Dias – 6.5

Guardiola merely threw him on as City looked to avoid any last-minute concession of goals.

Bernardo Silva – 6.5

He came alongside Dias to help City keep control of the game heading into the closing stages.

Matheus Nunes – N/A

Nunes managed to get a few seconds under his belt here but the match was already done and dusted.

Manager

Pep Guardiola – 8

The Spaniard has truly turned this side into a well-oiled machine, that hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down even after winning four Premier League titles in a row. With four wins from their opening four league games, the Sky Blues have already made a big title statement, and at this rate, they aren’t stopping any time soon.

Also Read: Crystal Palace vs Leicester City Player Ratings: Jean-Philippe Mateta saves the host from a home defeat

Brentford Player Ratings vs Manchester City

Goalkeeper

Mark Flekken – 7

The Brentford custodian made five saves in the game to prevent Manchester City from running away with this. His vital saves made sure the Bees were still in the game and had a chance of coming back into it right until the end.

Defenders

Kristoffer Ajer – 6.5

With three clearances and one tackle, Ajer had a decent game in defense for the Bees, but his forward runs didn’t yield anything. He also won both his ground duels but misplaced a couple of passes.

Sepp van den Berg – 7

His excellent vision saw him make four clearances and he timed his tackles to perfection too. Van den Berg won all three of his ground duels as well as completing 91% of his passes.

Ethan Pinnock – 6.5

He didn’t always come up trumps against Haaland, whose pace was sometimes too much for him, but Pinnock still managed five clearances, one interception and five tackles. The 31-year-old distributed the ball superbly from defense.

Nathan Collins – 6.5

Collins perfectly complemented Pinnock in defense with his positional sense and willingness to mop up everything that’s thrown at him. He blocked three shots and made one clearance too.

Keane Lewis-Potter – 5

A forgetful performance from Lewis-Potter, who was sloppy in possession and lost all four of his duels too. He was rarely involved, but whenever managed to get himself into the thick of things, didn’t inspire hope.

Midfielders

Mikkel Damsgaard – 6

He, too, struggled to compete for the ball against Manchester City’s flamboyant midfielders, while also offering no resistance when Brentford were on the back foot. He won just one of his seven duels and lost possession 13 times.

Christian Norgaard – 7.5

A revelation in midfield for the Bees, Norgaard made three clearances and interceptions each, as well as four tackles. He was also essential to winning back possession and played a key role in breaking down City’s plays at times.

Vitaly Janelt – 5

Vitaly Janelt was non-existent for much of the game, offering no attacking width going forward and not making enough recoveries when Brentford needed him. He did, however, look to get his side forward with a couple of long balls.

Forwards

Yoane Wissa – 7.5

The Brentford striker put them in front after only 22 seconds into the kick-off, heading home from close range after City failed to clear their lines. He was looking sharp but his evening came to a premature end after sustaining a knock in the first half.

Bryan Mbeumo – 6.5

He laid three key passes and completed all three of his crosses too, which is a testament to his creative skills, but wasn’t a direct threat to Manchester City in any way. His only effort in the game was also blocked.

Substitutes

Kevin Schade – 4

He replaced Wissa in the first half only to come a cropper; completing only five passes in 45 minutes of action.

Mads Roerslev – 5

The Dutchman was a spectator for much of the game, lacking the energy and willingness to even get involved.

Fabio Carvalho – 6

The Portuguese came along with Roerslev for the final quarter of the game but offered no great shakes.

Yehor Yarmoliuk – 6

He was merely sent on to get a few minutes under his belt.

Manager

Thomas Frank – 6.5

It’s been a good campaign for Brentford so far, and their manager will be content with it too. Both their losses so far have been against the Premier League giants, Liverpool and Manchester City. Else, the Bees have looked sharp. Even today, they grabbed an early lead and put City under pressure at home, something that not many sides manage to pull off.

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