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The defending UEFA Champions League holders were able to maintain their 100% win rate in Europe’s elite competition this term, with a comfortable 3-1 win that warrants top marks in our RB Leipzig vs Manchester City Player Ratings.
They needed two late goals to seal it, to keep a comfortable hold on top spot in UCL Group G.
RB Leipzig vs Manchester City Player Ratings – Timeline
Contents
- 1 RB Leipzig vs Manchester City Player Ratings – Timeline
- 2 The Big Stat
- 3 RB Leipzig vs Manchester City player ratings: Star Man
- 4 RB Leipzig vs Manchester City Player Ratings: Cautious Leipzig made to pay for defensive style
- 5 Clincal Manchester City inspired by super-subs
- 6 Manchester City
- 7 The Final Word
17′ – Man City have a penalty call turned down after Bernardo’s shot hits Lukeba’s arm.
25′ (Goal) – Lewis links up with Bernardo to get into the box and cuts a pass to Foden, whose shot beats the goalkeeper.
48′ (Goal) – Openda outmuscles and finishes past an onrushing Ederson.
62′ – Foden hits the bar with a curling free-kick.
84′ (Goal) – Alvarez curles a perfect shot into the top corner from outside the box.
90+2′ (Goal) – Jeremy Doku finishes off a late counter-attack after an impressive link-up play between Haaland and Alvarez.
The Big Stat
Manchester City’s opening goal was created and executed by their two youth academy graduates. Rico Lewis (at the club since the age of nine) set up a goal for Phil Foden.
RB Leipzig vs Manchester City player ratings: Star Man
Phil Foden – 9.5/10
Phil Foden was almost unplayable with his unpredictable movement in the final third. He moved into areas where nobody expected him to pop up at and scored a brilliant opening goal with a deft finish.
Foden also moved the ball forward impressively and created three major chances, but unlucky not to get an assist. Ultimately, he brought much-needed life to his side’s attack and tormented the hosts with his chaotic presence in the final third.
RB Leipzig vs Manchester City Player Ratings: Cautious Leipzig made to pay for defensive style
Marco Rose’s side gave the European champions way too much respect at their own home ground. They were too content with sitting back and just scoring that one goal to try and draw out a point from the result. Made to pay for their fearful nature and not being willing to take risks.
RB Leipzig
Janis Blaswich 5.5/10 – Made a few sharp saves and distributed the ball efficiently. Unable to do much for either goal.
Lukas Kostermann 7/10 – Impressively read Man City’s moves and constantly ruined their moves with clutch clearances.
Mohammed Simakan 6.5/10 – Bullied Grealish with his tight marking and restricted his opponents’ flow with alert defensive work.
Castello Lukeba 6/10 – Disciplined and frustrated Haaland with his strict marking.
David Raum 5/10 – Troubled by Bernardo and Walker, being unable to do much to stop their attacks through his side.
Nicolas Seiwald 5.5/10 – Proactive in midfield and helped maintain a tight shape to restrict free spaces for the opponents. But couldn’t close down Alvarez early enough to stop his goal.
Xaver Schlager 6/10 – Full of energy with his pressing and tackles, ruining a number of attacking moves.
Xavi Simons 4.5/10 – Unable to create much and frustrated by City’s ball control and Walker’s tight marking.
Emil Forsberg 5/10 – Worked hard and got into a few great positions, but his final passes were awry.
Yussef Poulsen 7/10 – Pressed the Man City players sharply and played a great pass to set up Openda’s goal.
Lois Openda 7.5/10 – Troubled defenders with his movement and showed great determination to score the slick equalizer.
Substitutes
Benjamin Sesko 5/10 – Failed to test Ederson with anything dangerous.
Timo Werner 5.5/10 – Made a few nice runs but his final product was awry.
Christoph Baumgartner 6/10 – Saw a late cheeky long-ranger attempt go just over.
Amadou Haidara – N/A
Clincal Manchester City inspired by super-subs
The Cityzens dominated the majority of the game, but would have to thank their substitutes for winning them the game. They took their chances well and Pep Guardiola’s decision-making paid off in the end.
Manchester City
Ederson 5.5/10 – Committed to early to his dive and allowed Openda to score past him.
Kyle Walker 7/10 – Tactful and energetic on the right with his defensive work as well as moving the ball forward.
Manuel Akanji 5/10 – Had trouble with Leipzig’s speedy transitions and got outmuscled too easily for the equalizer.
Ruben Dias 7/10- Disciplined and assertive with his defensive work, winning a lot of key duels.
Josko Gvardiol 6.5/10 – Composed against his former side, not making errors and frustrating former teammates with key challenges.
Rico Lewis 8/10 – Used his positive energy to dispossess Leipzig players multiple times and win many key battles. Played an impressive assist for the opener.
Rodri 6.5/10 – Calm in midfield, completing over 100 passes and shielding his backline well.
Phil Foden 9.5/10 – Buzzed like a bee in his free role. Scored a brilliant goal and almost another one with a dangerous free-kick. Created a lot of chances too.
Bernardo Silva 6/10 – Menacing with his unpredictable movement, but not as much with his final product.
Jack Grealish 4.5/10 – Unable to create anything noteworthy and gave the ball away leading to Leipzig’s equalizer.
Erling Haaland 4/10 – Managed to get off over five shots, but not at clinical on the day. Missed some big chances.
Substitutes
Nathan Ake 6/10 – Helped bring more assurance and composure to the backline.
Jeremy Doku 7/10 – Troubled Leipzig with his speedy runs and set up Alvarez’s winner. Finished off the game with his first UCL goal for Man City.
Julian Alvarez 8/10 – Became his side’s saviour by perfectly slotting a curling effort into the top corner for his goal. Made a great pass leading to Doku’s goal.
Matheus Nunes – N/A
The Final Word
Manchester City left it late to get back to winning ways and gain total control of group G. But like the champions they are, they bounced back from a poor defeat at Wolves in style.
In turn, they continue their dominant H2H record against the Bundesliga side and have the brilliance of Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez to thank for this result, which gives them the necessary momentum booster before their big Premier League clash against Arsenal.
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