When Barcelona demolished Manchester City 4-0 at Camp Nou, nobody was surprised. Everyone was expecting to see another match that had at least 4 goals going in but little did they expect Manchester City to put up such a strong fight.
Not only did Manchester City put up a fight, they managed to get a result that not many teams have got in the UEFA Champions League. Here are the player ratings from Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Barcelona at Etihad:
Manchester City:
Caballero - 8/10
Didn't have much to do in the first half and was brilliant whenever he had to deal with the ball. Harsh to say that he could have done better to stop the goal but he could have put in a little more effort.
Zabaleta - 8/10
Was absolutely brilliant on the right side of the defence. Kept Neymar quiet throughout the game and did not give away too many fouls.
Stones - 7.5/10
Suarez humiliated him more than once in the match and Messi too did it a couple of times. Overall, you can say that his performance was exactly what Guardiola wanted.
Otamendi - 8/10
Rock solid at the back. Did not give Messi or Suarez any space to shoot and was quick to jump in and intercept the ball in dangerous positions.
Kolarov - 8.5/10
Best Manchester City defender by a mile today. Unlucky to have not got an assist for the brilliant crosses he put in and even more unlucky to have got booked for a something that was not even a foul.
Fernandinho - 7/10
Was hanging by a thread throughout the match until he was brought off after getting that booking early in the first half. Did well to put pressure on the Barcelona midfield and got even the ever so calm and consistent Busquets to make a lot of mistakes.
Gundogan - 9.5/10
TWO GOALS! That's right, Gundogan scored TWICE! He was in the right place at the right time for Manchester City and he proved to be the difference between the two clubs today. Won possession with ease and made some brilliant passes to start counter attacks.
Silva - 9/10
Silva was the core of every single counter attack by the Citizens. He was here, there, everywhere to collect the ball and make some insane passes! Would have easily been the Man of the match if it wasn't got Gundogan's two goals.
De Bruyne - 9/10
WHAT A FREE KICK! Many would say that the Barcelona keeper should have done better to save the free kick but the accuracy of the shot and the power behind it has to be appreciated. The hefty fee paid by Manchester City to sign him from Wolfsburg is all paying off!
Sterling - 8/10
If it wasn't for that dive early in the first half, he would have got a better rating. Did very well to keep Digne out of the game most of the time by pulling him out of position and dribbling past him like he wasn't even there.
Aguero - 8/10
The only thing that was missing from his performance today was a goal. He gave the Barcelona defenders a nightmare today and was leading the counter attacks all the time. Came close to scoring a few times but was unlucky to have not found the back of the net.
SUBSTITUTES:
Fernando - 6/10
When Fernandinho was brought off 'due to an injury', Pep Guardiola turned to Fernando. The former FC Porto midfielder did very well to replicate when Fernandinho did in the midfield and was excellent overall.
Navas - 6.5/10
That run he made for the 3rd goal is something not many Manchester City fans would forget for a really long time. He was smart enough to stay onside and make the run at the right time and put in that brilliant cross which led to the goal.
Nolito - N/A
Came on as a late replacement for Sterling and did not have any significant impact on the game.
Ter Stegen - 6/10
Not a poor performance overall but he should have done a lot better to stop Kevin De Bruyne's free-kick and also Navas' cross that led to the 3rd goal. Made sone good saves as well so can't rate him anything below 6.
Sergio Roberto - 4/10
One of his worst performances ever! He was nowhere when needed and was leaving the right side of the defence wide open. His error led to the first Manchester City goal and his confidence was at an all-time low ever since.
Mascherano - 5/10
Made a few good interceptions but was poor in tackling and was lucky not to have been booked on more than one occasion. Sterling and Aguero were able to run rings around him and he could not do anything about it.
Umtiti - 5/10
Very very lucky to have not given away an early penalty to Manchester City. If it wasn't for Sterling over-doing that dive, Umtiti would have been booked and it would have been a clear penalty to Barcelona. Did some good defending and made sure that the scoreline remained respectable.
Digne - 4/10
Nightmares of Sterling and Aguero - that's what Digne is going to have for some time. He was having one of his worst games tonight and was lucky to be on the pitch. He should have been booked early in the first half for his foul on Sterling and then again got booked for another foul, minutes later. How he remained on the pitch throughout the match is a mystery.
Busquets - 5/10
Not his worst performance but he made a lot of mistakes. Most of them were because of Fernandinho who did not give him any space to get a pass. Couldn't dominate the midfield as he used to and Barcelona's backbone was not strong enough.
Rakitic - 5/10
Another midfielder who suffered today because of Fernandinho and Gundogan. Both of them were on his toes all the time and Sterling also did well to draw in a few found from the Croatian. Got booked in the first half and was brought off by Luis Enrique to avoid a sending off.
Gomes - 5.5/10
Best Barcelona midfielder today but could have made a huge difference in the game had he scored and not hit the crossbar! He was unmarked and could have taken a touch before shooting but in a hurry to get Barcelona back in the game, he wasted their best chance in the 2nd half.
Messi - 7/10
Messi was the best player on the pitch tonight till Manchester City scored. He started the move for the Barcelona goal and finished it off in style but in the 2nd half, he could not work his magic at all. He was 'neutralised' by Pep Guardiola's men and was captive.
Neymar - 6.5/10
Assisted the only Barcelona goal and did well in the first half but similar to Messi, he too was nowhere to be seen in the second half. Zabaleta was out-pacing and out-witting him every single time and the Brazilian could not find a way past the Argentine.
Suarez - 6.5/10
Missed a few chances and wasted a lot of chances by not passing to the right person. Made a few good runs behind the defence but was unable to get things done. The MSN magic was nowhere to be seen in the second half but credits to Suarez as he was the only one of the trio who kept trying till the end!
SUBSTITUTES:
Turan - 4.5/10
Sloppy and indecisive. His error almost led to a Manchester City goal and could have caused a lot more damage to the team. Managed ZERO dribbles, ZERO tackles and got dispossessed a lot!
Rafinha - 5/10
Came on for Gomes in the 2nd half and was the better of the two Barcelona substitutes. Did not add much to the team not could he replicate what Gomes did. Never came close to scoring or assisting - the main reason why Luis Enrique brought him on!
