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Manchester City: Player Ratings in 4-0 win over Liverpool

By J.C. Gonzalez

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 02: The LED scoreboard is seen after the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool FC at Etihad Stadium on July 02, 2020 in Manchester, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 02: The LED scoreboard is seen after the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool FC at Etihad Stadium on July 02, 2020 in Manchester, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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Manchester City delivered a statement victory over newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.

Although the game carried absolutely no implications in terms of the final league table, Manchester City delivered a brilliant display in a 4-0 victory over rivals Liverpool after giving them a guard of honor before the match.

City were excellent after a difficult start to the match, but a penalty goal against the run of play turned the tide and helped the Citizens run riot over Liverpool in an emphatic statement of defiance.

Defense

Ederson (GK): Had several sweeper-keeper moments, and looked comfortable today in goal as City kept a clean sheet against the Reds’ devastating front three. (7.5)

Kyle Walker (RB): Rashly gave away a foul right on the edge of the area that easily could have been a Liverpool penalty, but in the end his aggressive defending was a big part of City’s success. (6.5)

Eric García (CB): If a new starting-caliber central defender is brought in next season, García should be the next man up in the defensive rotation. In what was easily the biggest task of his young senior career, he and Laporte proved the difference in keeping Liverpool in check that just was not there when the two sides met at Anfield last year. (8)

Aymeric Laporte (CB): Another classy performance from City’s best defender. Had he been fit for the entirety of the season, I firmly believe that the title race could well and truly still be alive at this point. (8)

Benjamin Mendy (LB): A decent performance today on his 50th appearance in sky blue. As a player who has struggled for consistency in both his health and performance, he has yet to live up to the hefty price tag paid for him and his future remains on shaky ground, but when it all clicks, he represents a real threat going forward and a capable defender. (6.5)

Midfield

Rodri (CDM): Showed a physical presence that allowed City to win the midfield battle against Liverpool’s engine-like players. Overall, a huge piece of Pep Guardiola’s puzzle moving forward. (7.5)

İlkay Gündoğan (CAM): Solid although unspectacular, much like his typical performance, however, he did have some real issues giving the ball away for much of the match. (6)

Kevin de Bruyne (CAM): Another stunning performance from the star of the team. He calmly dispatched yet another penalty, provided a silky one-two assist with Phil Foden for his 17th of the season, made incredible incisive passes showing that his vision is simply levels above everyone else on that pitch. He was unfortunately denied an 18th league assist when Sterling’s second was ruled an own goal, which would have brought him to within two of Thierry Henry’s record of 20 with six games to play. (9)

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Attack

Phil Foden (RW): City have a star on their hands, and he’s one of our own. With his fourth goal in his last three league appearances, another assist, it was a Man of the Match performance from the Stockport Iniesta. (9.5)

Gabriel Jesus (ST): Had some bright moments, but was not at his absolute best, and was later substituted off. (6)

Raheem Sterling (LW): Along with De Bruyne and Foden as one of the clear candidates for Man of the Match. He would have won out if his second goal had been ruled as such instead of an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain own goal, but his penalty win and subsequent goal was fantastic. (9)

Substitutes

Riyad Mahrez (RW): Nearly pulled off a spectacular fifth for City, which was ultimately denied by VAR, which showed the ball unfortunately hitting Foden’s arm while he was on the ground halfway up the pitch. (8)

Bernardo Silva (LW): In only a short cameo for the Portuguese playmaker, he showed his work rate and helped City stay the course. (6)

João Cancelo (RB): Came on for Walker who was on a yellow and got the job done. (6)

Nicolás Otamendi (CB): Kept the stability at the back in the closing stages and helped seal the clean sheet victory. (6)