Man City player ratings vs Newcastle as Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez good

Manchester City beat Newcastle 1-0 in the Premier League to top off a successful week at the start of the season

(Image: 2023 Lexy Ilsley – Manchester City)

Ederson: Excellent on the ball with his long passing, and was also solid whenever Newcastle tested him. 7

Walker: Asked to occupy the whole right flank and did extremely well all over the pitch, making loads of running and decision-making at top speeds look effortless. 8

Akanji: Still doesn’t have the skills that Stones does when he moves forward in midfield, but did well to handle Wilson when he came on. 7

Dias: A welcome return to the team. Got some nasty challenges from Gordon but did not let himself be beaten and excellent to bail Rodri out in the second half. 8

Gvardiol: Probably the quietest performance in the defence, although not standing out is no bad thing. Managed to get himself out of a few situations with a cool head. 7

Rodri: Some misplaced passes and a horrible slip that nearly let Wilson in in the second half made it a display with more errors than usual. 6

Alvarez: A finish to draw more comparisons to Aguero – what a hit! Combined well with Foden in his best performance in a City shirt. 8

Kovacic: Some encouraging signs, taking the initiative to carry the ball through the midfield and try to slip Haaland in. 7

Foden: Outstanding. Ran the game through the middle, with a skill and speed of foot and brain that were too much for Newcastle to handle. 9

Grealish: Struggled to create anything offensively, but his tracking back and defending in the second half was important. 7

Haaland: A strange game. Didn’t really make the most of his opportunities, but he was still such a handful for the Newcastle defence it always felt like he was doing something. 7