Defending Champions Manchester City overcame West Ham’s first-half resistance to register a comfortable 5-0 win in their opening game of the 2019/20 Premier League season.
Gabriel Jesus, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling made the score-sheet, with the latter impressing with a well-deserved second-half hat-trick.
How did the players perform in City’s opener? We take a look.
Manchester City (4-3-3)
Ederson – Hardly tested by the West Ham attack in the first half, produced a spectacular double-save in the second to keep the clean-sheet. 7
Oleksandr Zinchenko – Confident show by the youngster with some key moments in attack and in defence, linked well with the forwards. 7
John Stones – Dealt well with the threat produced by Sebastien Haller, simple game with no major errors. 6
Aymeric Laporte – Assumed the position of the last man whenever City pushed forward, dealt extremely well with all the aerial threat. 7
Kyle Walker – Could have done better in defence, but was a beast in attack. Assisted Jesus’ opener following a great overlapping run. 7
Rodrigo – Soaked the pressure incredibly well, won some crucial aerials and maintained the tempo of the game. 7
Kevin De Bruyne – Vintage display from the Beligan, produced three key-passes including the assist to Sterling that followed a brilliant run. 8
David Silva – The weakest link in the team, got caught in possession several times and was rarely on the same wavelength as his team-mates. 5
Riyad Mahrez – Looked threatening on the right and was involved in several crucial build-ups, assisted two of Sterling’s goal, won the penalty ahead of City’s fourth. 9
Gabriel Jesus – Netted the ball twice but only one counted. Produced an exquisite finish to slot it home amid a crowded area. 8
Raheem Sterling – City’s best player of the game despite staying anonymous for most parts of the first half, walked away with a hat-trick thanks to three well-taken finishes. 10
SUBSTITUTES
Sergio Aguero – Came on in the 69th minute to replace Jesus, scored a penalty after he was made to re-take his saved penalty. 7
Phil Foden – Came on for Silva to see the game off in the last 10 minutes. N/A
Ilkay Gundogan – Replaced De Bruyne for the last 10 minutes, nothing spectacular. N/A