Manchester City 0 Sunderland 0 : City player ratings from a hard-fought match at the Stadium of Light

Manchester City 0

Sunderland 0

Here are the City player ratings as Manchester City were held to a nil-all draw by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light tonight. Sunderland more than deserved their point and they were the better team in the first-half. City lifted in the second-half and will be frustrated that a host of good chances were wasted or blocked by some desperate Sunderland defending in the second-half. A draw was a fair result on the night given how the match played out.

The City player ratings reflect Manchester City’s performance. In the first-half City were poor, but in the second-half they upped the ante but failed to break down a stubborn Sunderland defence. Manchester City’s finishing cost them as they dropped two points against a team that remains unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season.

City player ratings

Gianluigi Donnarumma-8/10: Made a host of pivotal saves to maintain his clean sheet. Donnarumma was calm throughout the evening and I thought he was good in possession as well.

Matheus Nunes-7/10: Did his job well at right-back. Offered a threat going forward and defensively he was solid which was important throughout the match.

Ruben Dias-7/10: Another strong performance from Ruben Dias. Brian Bobbey shrugged him off once in the first-half but besides that, Dias was very good at the back.

Nathan Ake-7.5/10: A solid display from Ake. It seemed that his night would end early but he played the full 90 minutes and was solid at the back bar a late slip.

Nico O’Reilly-5/10: Not Nico O’Reilly’s best performance before he has was taken off in the 57th minute. Sunderland had joy going at O’Reilly and the youngster did look tired throughout tonight’s match.

Nico-6/10: Replaced by Rodri at halftime after picking up a knock on his knee. Did his job for the first half but I can’t give him more than a 6/10.

Bernardo Silva-7/10: Got through a mountain of work his team once again. Had a goal disallowed but his work rate was key throughout the game before he was taken off with five minutes to go.

Savinho-6/10: Savinho had his moments in front of goal before he was taken off with an injury concern. But as is so often the case with him he squandered two great chances to score at the beginning of the second-half. He simply has to improve his finishing to become a key player for City.

Phil Foden-6.5/10: I thought Foden was off it in the first-half but grew into the game in the second-half. Not his best performance but he did look better in midfield when Rodri came on.

Rayan Cherki-7/10: Created a golden opportunity for Savinho to open the scoring immediately after halftime. Unfortunately, Savinho put the chance over the bar. Did his job on the night although he wasn’t as impactful as in previous matches. Probably Manchester City’s most consistent attacking player over the full 90 minutes so he gets a 7/10 for his efforts.

Erling Haaland-5/10: -A disappointing performance from Haaland. Had one chance which was saved and couldn’t get into the game. His poor pass to Rayan Cherki in the second-half summed up his night.

Substitutes

Rodri-7.5/10: Manchester City’s midfield general came on at halftime and was superb. He helped City go up a gear and his presence makes City a better team. Rodri’s display was the single biggest positive to come from tonight’s match for Manchester City.

Jeremy Doku-7/10: Was Manchester City’s most dangerous attacking outlet after he came on. If not for a lucky block from the Sunderland defence he’d have scored one of the goals of the season. He played in several dangerous crosses as well which his teammates didn’t read.

Josko Gvardiol-7/10: Gvardiol hit the post and saw another header well saved by Robin Roefs. He made an immediate impact at left-back after coming on and will likely start there against Chelsea.

Tijjani Reijnders-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.