Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal: Player ratings as Sergio Aguero shines and Alex Iwobi struggles

Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal: Player ratings as Sergio Aguero shines and Alex Iwobi struggles
Hat-trick hero Sergio Aguero helped Manchester City see off Arsenal at the Etihad and move back to within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.Aguero opened the scoring for City with a close-range header inside the first minute before Laurent Koscielny levelled for the Gunners.4

Man City vs Arsenal player ratings: Sergio Aguero was superb at the Eithad

The Argentine then netted either side of the break to make sure City returned to winning ways and put the pressure on Liverpool ahead of their clash at West Ham tomorrow night.Aguero was undoubtedly the star of the show but Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho also impressed.It was a day to forget for Arsenal, who failed to have a single effort in the second half, with the likes of Alex Iwobi and Stephan Lichtsteiner struggling.

Manchester City player ratings

Ederson: Citys star goalkeeper had no chance with Arsenals goal and remained unflappable after conceding. He was also quick to come out of his area to deal with any threat. 6Kyle Walker: Made some strong challenges and pushed City forward. 6Nicolas Otamendi: Rare top-flight start for the centre-back and stood up to the threat of Alexandre Lacazette well. 6Fernandinho: Lined up in the back four but gave the midfield some impetus when City were in possession. Dealt with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang very well. 8Aymeric Laporte: Slotted in well at left-back and created the opening goal with determination and finesse. 8Ilkay Gundogan: His range of passing proved difficult for Arsenal to handle. 7Raheem Sterling: Provided pace and venom out wide and his volleyed pass for Aguero’s second goal was exceptional. 74

Man City star Sergio Aguero celebrates his hat-trick against Arsenal

Kevin De Bruyne: Dictated the pace of the game, delivery outstanding and got in some fierce strikes on goal. 8Bernardo Silva: Gave City good options on the right, where he spent most of the game but not quite at his best. 6David Silva: Played more of a support role to De Bruyne on this occasion and often came left, but touches were still classy. 7Sergio Aguero: A tireless display that proved yet again how lethal he can be. Three close-range goals, the third of which appeared to come off his arm, but no doubt about the Man of the Match. 9Manchester City substitutesGabriel Jesus (for Aguero, 81): Allowed Aguero a break in the closing minutes and had a chance to add to the goals. 6Riyad Mahrez (for De Bruyne, 88): Curled a late shot wide. 64

Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny

Arsenal player ratings

Bernd Leno: No chance with City’s first two goals and did his best to keep out the third but to no avail. The Gunners goalkeeper made some decent saves but also had some shaky moments. 6Stephan Lichtsteiner: Caught out by a one-two between Sterling and Gundogan in the build-up to City’s second. The veteran was poor. 4Shkodran Mustafi: Badly out of position for the opening goal, and he looked fortunate not to give away a penalty soon after. 4Laurent Koscielny: Headed Arsenal level early on and while he will be disappointed by the goals conceded, he did do some decent work at the back. 6Nacho Monreal: Provided the flick-on for Koscielny’s goal and did not make any major errors defensively. 6Sead Kolasinac: Made some useful attacking contributions but Arsenal would have wanted more from him in defence. 5Lucas Torreira: Showed his usual grit in midfield and delivered the corner which led to the equaliser. Picked up a booking. 64

Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi was poor at Man City

Matteo Guendouzi: Produced some eye-catching play, particularly in the first-half, before fading as an influence. Arsenals best performer on the day. 7Alex Iwobi: City’s opener came after he lost possession on the edge of his own box. That was about all he did. 3Alexandre Lacazette: Unable to have much of an impact. Almost non-existent in the second half. 5Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Like his strike partner, failed to really exert himself on proceedings. 5Arsenal substitutesAaron Ramsey (for Iwobi, 66): Little impact. 4Denis Suarez (for Kolasinac, 66): Quiet and not the Arsenal debut he would have hoped for against his old club. 5Konstantinos Mavropanos (for Mustafi, 79): Helped ensure Arsenal did not fall further behind. 6

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