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Manchester City were dealt an unlikely blow as they lost 2-1 at home to Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday, November 12.
City entered this game on the back of four wins and one draw in their last five games across competitions. They secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Chelsea in the EFL Cup in their last outing.
Pep Guardiola knew a win before the break for the FIFA World Cup would be a major positive. He handed Erling Haaland a start as he was cleared to play following an injury layoff. The rest of the team remained unchanged.
Manchester City made a lackluster start to the game and looked sluggish in possession. Brentford capitalized on this and pushed forward to apply early pressure on the hosts' defense. Mbeumo and Frank Onyeka were unable to beat Ederson with two early chances as the Brazilian showed great reflexes to deny them.
However, City found themselves trailing after just 16 minutes. A lapse in concentration allowed Ivan Toney to sneak into an attacking position. He rose to guide Ben Mee's assist over the 'keeper and into the goal to make it 1-0. Manchester City then dominated possession and looked to penetrate Brentford's lines.
Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne saw their penalty appeals go in vain as VAR ruled no offense in both cases. City were relentless in their efforts and attempted several shots. However, their goal came from a corner in first-half stoppage time. Phil Foden held his run at the far post and hammered in the loose ball into the goal. Manchester City and Brentford went into the break tied at 1-1.
Both sides made a good start to the second period as Brentford were rigid and maintained a compact shape without the ball. Manchester City continued to dominate possession and made intricate runs forward. Haaland and Ilkay Gundogan combined for their first big chance of the second half. However, the German was caught off guard by the bounce and rifled his shot into the stands.
The hosts continued to push forward and attempt shots but lacked ruthlessness in front of goal. David Raya and his defenders did well to keep the scores level as Manchester City fired 14 attempts at goal in the second half. Brentford, however, had the last laugh as Toney scored a late winner on the counter-attack. The visitors could have added a third but De Bruyne cleared it off the line.
Brentford held on to secure a well-deserved 2-1 win over Manchester City. With that said, let's take a look at the hosts' player ratings.
Manchester City Player Ratings
Ederson - 7/10
Ederson looked sharp between the sticks and made two sharp stops early in the game. He made five saves but could not deny Toney as he scored twice.
John Stones - 6.5/10
Stones made a poor start and made a positioning mistake which allowed Toney to remain onside and score. He won three of his six duels and made one tackle and one clearance.
Manuel Akanji - 6.5/10
Akanji did well to rise to a cross from a corner and guide the ball towards Foden, who scored at the far post. He won two duels and made two clearances in defense. Akanji also played three key passes and two long balls.
Aymeric Laporte - 7/10
Laporte made a strong start to the game and was dominant in his duels. He was involved in a come-together in the second period and went down with blood running down the side of his head. However, he showed great spirit and carried on after seven minutes of treatment. He won 10 of his 14 duels and made seven clearances.
Joao Cancelo - 7/10
Cancelo made a slow start to the game but soon began getting involved in Manchester City's moves. He played one key pass, two accurate crosses, three accurate long balls, and won two duels.
Kevin De Bruyne - 7.5/10
De Bruyne distributed the ball well and also had a penalty appeal denied midway through the first period. He played three key passes, four accurate crosses and two accurate long balls. He also won four duels and attempted a shot on target.
Rodri - 7/10
Rodri looked composed in midfield as he dropped deep to receive the ball and help progress it forward. He won 10 of his 14 duels and made three tackles. He also played one key pass and attempted four shots of which just one was on target.
Ilkay Gundogan - 6.5/10
Gundogan was Manchester City's captain for this game and put in a decent performance. However, he missed a sitter in the second period which could have put his team ahead.
Bernardo Silva - 7/10
Bernardo looked sharp with the ball at his feet and also had a shout for a penalty denied by VAR in the first period. He played three key passes, one accurate cross and two accurate long balls. Bernardo also won five of his 10 duels.
Phil Foden - 7.5/10
Foden showed great composure as he maintained the perfect body shape to hammer the ball on the half-volley and into the net to equalize for City. He attempted seven shots including his goal. Foden also played three key passes and two accurate crosses.
Erling Haaland - 6.5/10
Haaland struggled early in the game and even received a yellow card for a cheap foul. He attempted just one shot throughout the game and it was blocked. He won four of his seven duels and played three key passes.
Substitutes
Julian Alvarez - N/A
Alvarez was Manchester City's only substitute and came on late in the game to replace Cancelo. He did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
