Sensational Sané steals the spotlight again: Man City Player Ratings vs. Crystal Palace – City Watch

Ederson – 7

It was a very quiet day for the ‘keeper with Palace offering very little threat his goal over the course of the game. When he was required to act, he was decisive and commanding. He made a vital interception on the stroke of half time, rushing off his line to collect the ball on the edge of the box to thwart Benteke.

Kyle Walker – 6.5

Walker was full of hard-work this afternoon and performed reliably. In an attacking sense, it definitely wasn’t one of his best performances but given how well those in front of him played it didn’t affect the team too much.

John Stones – 6.5

A far cry from his outstanding performances in recent weeks. It wasn’t a poor performance though, just a quiet one and that’s okay. His partnership with Otamendi looks increasingly solid and the pair functioned much better than against WBA during the week.

Nicolás Otamendi – 6.5

A very similar performance to Stones, solid if unspectacular. Made some nice interceptions and handled Benteke well throughout.

Benjamin Mendy – 6

The Frenchman looked good until he was forced off with injury. It really is unfortunate as his performances have been getting better and better with every game. Hopefully it is only a minor knock and he can return sooner rather than later.

Fernandinho – 7

Overall, a tidy afternoon for the Brazilian. Usually you can count on him to make one or two positional errors in defensive transition during the game, but that wasn’t the case today. Given how scrappy the first half was at times it was essential he didn’t make any of those errors today.

Kevin De Bruyne – 7.5

He may not be credited with any assists today but De Bruyne was influential in two of City’s goals. The highlight being the beautiful half-space to half-space switch for Agüero to set up Sterling’s second. This is something Xavi used to do incredibly well for Barça back in Pep’s tenure there. It’s no coincidence that De Bruyne is able to execute this kind of pass, especially given his new deeper role this season. Except to see this particular pass slice open the opposition over the course of the season.

David Silva – 8.5

Does David Silva ever have a bad game? I don’t think so. Even during the first half when everyone was sloppily misplacing passes, Silva managed to steady the ship and keep City ticking. Add to that two assists in an exceptional second half display and you have another vintage Silva performance.

Raheem Sterling – 8

Well, those are probably two of the easiest goals Raheem will ever score. He should have a third as well, but somehow managed to hit the side netting with the entire goal at his mercy. Regardless, the fact he is getting into the box and grabbing goals is great. The more sources of goals we have the more players the opposition need to try and stop.

Leroy Sané – 9 (Man of the Match)

It was a scintillating display from the German today. Sané was flying past defenders at will and was the biggest threat on the pitch for the entire game. He was duly rewarded with a goal and two assists, including an absolute beauty of a cross to set up Agüero. If he can just find an improved level of consistency, then he is going to be a very special player.

Sergio Agüero – 8

It can’t be a City rout unless Sergio gets on the scoresheet; it took him a while but he got there eventually. On the whole it was a quiet afternoon and his interactions with the rest of the team were quite limited but he still managed to grab an assist to go alongside his goal.

Subs:

Bernardo Silva – 6

The Portuguese struggled to get on the ball and involved in play consistently after he was introduced. Fortunately the game was done and dusted at the point and he got some valuable minutes to further try and gel with his team mates.

Danilo – 6.5

Another flexible performance from Danilo today, featuring in both full back positions over the course of the game. I still think he is a bit too passive when playing on the left and too eager to move the ball back inside rather than attacking the byline.

Fabian Delph – 7

What a strike. It really was nice to see him score and get a strong showing under his belt. I was actually really impressed with how easily he slotted in at left back. He has a strong understanding of when to tuck in to the midfield and when to offer width. The only question mark remains around his ability to defend out wide, I haven’t seen enough to make an informed decision just yet. Given that Mendy has picked up an injury though we just might find out over the next few games.