Manchester City were held to a goalless stalemate at the Etihad in their opening Champions League game of the season by Inter Milan. A repeat of the 2023 final, the sides mustered nine shots on target in total, but the goalkeepers on the night made a big difference, pulling off a series of big stops to ensure the honors are even.
As expected, the Sky Blues dominated possession and saw chances come for Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Savinho in the first half, but Yann Sommer wasn’t fully tested. Phil Foden arrowed a wonderful shot in the 69th minute but the Swiss custodian blocked it. As for Inter, Marcus Thuram, Hakan Calhanoglu and Matteo Darmian all made efforts unsuccessfully.
In the dying embers, Rico Lewis came within a gilt-edged chance to net the winner for City with the match almost up, but his header was off the bar, and that was that for the Premier League champions, who were subjugated at home in a Champions League game after a long time. Inter can be proud of their defensive performance here, though questions remain of their attacking proficiency.
Here are the player ratings for both, Manchester City and Inter Milan:
Man City Player Ratings vs Inter Milan
Goalkeeper
Ederson – 7
The Manchester City custodian was equal to everything thrown at him by Inter Milan, just like he was in the 2023 Champions League finals against them. His point-blank save on Hakan Calhanoglu in the 31st minute was eye-catching, although the offside flag had gone up later.
Defenders
Manuel Akanji – 6
The Swiss international was positionally aware, combined vision with fortitude to compete in duels with aplomb, and circulated the ball with immaculate accuracy to help City build from the back.
Ruben Dias – 7
A dependable figure in defense for Manchester City, the Portuguese centre-back showed excellent positional awareness to register a few clearances and interceptions, while also timing his tackles to perfection. His challenge on Zielinski towards the end of the first half perfectly encapsulated his abilities.
Josko Gvardiol – 7.5
The mortar to Dias’ brick, Gvardiol perfectly complimented his centre-back partner. Industrious and belligerent, the Croatian made a few important blocks, decisively won his ground duels, and completed over 95% of his passes too.
Midfielders
Rico Lewis – 6
Literally zero defensive contribution defensively by him tonight – not registering a single clearance, or tackle, or interception or block. He didn’t attempt any duels either. Then in the dying seconds, came within a gilt-edge opportunity to win it for City, but headed it over the bar.
Rodri – 7
The Spaniard completed 93% of his passes, seven long balls and won ground duels, as Rodri was the battering ram that impeded Inter Milan’s movements and broke their rhythm time and again.
Savio – 6
A complete a non-factor for City, as Savinho looked clueless on the right flank. He didn’t win any of his three ground duels either. He attempted two shots in the game too, but saw one blocked and the other go wide off the mark.
Bernardo Silva – 7
The Portuguese midfielder passed the ball around with immense accuracy and laid one good cross too. But overall, his output still was lacking on the night, as Silva didn’t muster a single attempt on target either.
Kevin De Bruyne – 7
The Manchester City maestro was at it again, pulling the strings for his side with his creative skills, vision and excellent command on the ball. He also attempted three shots at goal, with one on target that was saved by Sommer.
Jack Grealish – 7
A breath of fresh air in the attacking department with his surprisingly good creative flair, Grealish laid a handful of key passes for his attacking cohorts and passed the ball around well to maintain the side’s tempo.
Forwards
Erling Haaland – 6
It’s not often you hear the words “Haaland had a disappointing game”, but today was just one of those games. Nothing came through for the peerless Norwegian, who was effectively boxed by Inter’s stoic backline that didn’t allow him too much time and space on the ball.
Substitutes
Phil Foden – 7
With three key passes and four crosses, Foden certainly made his presence felt in attack.
Ilkay Gundogan – 6.5
The German international replaced De Bruyne in the second half and completed 100% of his passes.
Jeremy Doku – N/A
He came on for Bernardo Silva but offered no great shakes in attack when City were looking for a late winner.
Manager
Pep Guardiola – 6.5
The Spaniard avoided losing to Inter Milan yet again, but truth to be told, he won’t be fully satisfied with his side’s performance, as City ran into a stonewall here, which limited their ability to create goalscoring chances.
Inter Milan Player Ratings vs Man City
Goalkeeper
Yannick Sommer – 7.5
With five saves on the night, the Inter Milan custodian reigned supreme. His shotstopping ability frustrated City’s forwards and earned a clean sheet at the Etihad, a feat which many goalkeepers fail to achieve in the Champions League.
Defenders
Yann Bisseck – 6
He sent in a few long balls for more advanced players to latch onto and get Inter forward, and stayed his ground when City came knocking. Offensively, though, Bisseck struggled, and couldn’t drive forward as much as he’d have liked.
Francesco Acerbi – 7.5
With five clearances and two blocked shots, Acerbi’s contributions in earning a draw in the home of the Premier League champions cannot be understated. The former Lazio star took the bull by its horns here, combining muscle with technique to subjugate the likes of Erling Haaland, which is no mean feat.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6
An important figure in defense, Bastoni was thoroughly involved in the thick of the things here, but also looked sloppy in possession. Phil Foden once plucked the ball off him and created a good chance for City that eventually went begging.
Midfielders
Matteo Darmian – 6
Not the best night for Darmian upon his return to Manchester, as the former United flop struggled to impose himself defensively, and lacked the attacking flair to truly trouble City’s defense while going forward. One poor decision on the ball in the 53rd minute saw Inter lose out on a golden opportunity to go in front as Darmian had the sight of goal and should’ve gone to shoot, but opted to square it for Thuram instead.
Nicolo Barella – 7
Inter Milan’s pocket radio forgot his attacking boots at home tonight, but made up for that with his lung-bursting runs, covering every blade of grass in search of possession. He competed hard for the ball too, as City fouled him a few times in their bid to stop him.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 7.5
The Turkish maestro was at his usual best here, controlling the narrative for Inter with deep-lying passes and slicing open City’s defense with some excellent footwork. He laid a handful of crosses for the forwards while tracking back whenever needed.
Piotr Zielinski – 6.5
Excellent movements, devastating link-up plays, and impeccable passing, Zielinski was the complete package…well, almost! His shooting ability wasn’t the best, as his efforts flew wide off the mark.
Carlos Augusto – 6
The 25-year-old wasn’t always involved in the thick of the things but contributed heavily in defense when City looked to get forward. Augusto made some excellent recoveries, and read the game well to jump into clearances too.
Forwards
Marcus Thuram – 6.5
Inter Milan’s hitman Marcus Thuram positioned himself well to receive service and tested City’s defense time and again. He held-up the ball superbly in front and never gave Ederson a moment of rest when the Nerazzurri were on the attacking foot.
Mehdi Taremi – 7
The Iranian star excelled on a momentous night for him, cutting open City’s defense with his immaculate throughballs. Despite a lack of experience in big games like this, Taremi wasn’t cowed down by the occasion and in fact, stepped up brilliantly to shine for the Nerazzurris.
Substitutes
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6.5
The Armenian came on to inject fresh attacking impetus into Inter Milan’s game but came away with mixed results.
Lautaro Martinez – 6.5
He replaced Marcus Thuram after the hour mark and continued to pressure City.
Benjamin Pavard – 6
The former Bayern Munich man made one clearance in the limited time he had.
Denzel Dumfries – 5
The Dutchman failed to contribute in any meaningful way.
Davide Frattesi – 6.5
He offered weight in midfield as Inter looked to wrestle back control of midfield in the closing stages in search of a winner.
Manager
Simone Inzaghi – 7
To visit Etihad and come away with a point like that in the Champions League is no ordinary feat, but Simone Inzaghi deserves credit for setting his side up to frustrate their mighty hosts, while not sacrificing their own attacking game.
FAQ’s
What was the result of the Man City vs Inter?
The Man City vs Inter game ended in a goalless draw.
When was the Man City vs Inter clash?
The Man City vs Inter game took place on 18th September.
Who was the worst performer in Man City vs Inter?
Denzel Dumfries was the worst performer in Man City vs Inter.