David Silva and Leroy Sane star in Man City's narrow Champions League win

Aditya Devavrat 01:10 03/10/2018
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  • David Silva's late goal gave City the win.

    Manchester City picked up their first win in the Champions League this season, battling to a come-from-behind 2-1 win at Hoffenheim by the skin of their teeth after they’d fallen behind in the first minute.

    Sergio Aguero equalised soon after before David Silva bagged a late winner to earn all three points for Pep Guardiola‘s side, though it was a chancy victory given the opportunities Hoffenheim created.

    Here’s a look at how City’s players fared.

    STARTING XI

    Ederson 6 – Nearly cost City a goal with a mad dash out of the box in which he ended up missing the ball, only for his defence to bail him out. Apart from that, however, looked solid and kept his team in the game.

    Kyle Walker 6 – As is often the case with Walker, his attacking prowess and pace made up for the occasional defensive lapse.

    Vincent Kompany 4 – At fault for Hoffenheim’s goal and looked shaky throughout. Playing in just his second game in the past month, the Belgian was off the pace.

    Nicolas Otamendi 5 – Another game which showed the trade-off inherent in playing Otamendi. His passing helped City retain possession, his defensive mistakes put them in trouble.  

    Aymeric Laporte 6 – Deployed at left-back but often doubled up as a third centre-back. In either role, the Frenchman looked shaky, though he did come up with one or two superb tackles.

    David Silva 8 – The evergreen Spaniard delivered yet again. In a game that City could easily have lost, Silva’s moment of quality at the end made sure they returned to Manchester with all three points.

    Fernandinho 6 – Looked overrun in midfield at times as Hoffenheim often countered at will, but regained his composure to ensure the game was never far from City’s control.

    Ilkay Gundogan 6 – Unfortunate that the German suffered another injury in a career that has been full of them. Looked composed on the ball up to that point, if at times caught out by the hosts’ pace.

    Raheem Sterling 6 – A livewire throughout, with his running on the right making him a constant threat, but his final ball let him down on occasion.

    Sergio Aguero 7 – Scored once and probably should have added to his tally, being denied by the Hoffenheim defence and keeper on multiple occasions.

    Leroy Sane 8 – The German winger has been much criticised of late, but this was an excellent performance. Sane bagged an assist, should have had a penalty, and popped up with a vital tackle as well to stop a Hoffenheim counter.

    Leroy Sane was arguably City's best player on the night.

    Leroy Sane was arguably City’s best player on the night.

    SUBSTITUTES

    John Stones 7 – Was City’s best defender on the night after coming on as a second-half substitute. Produced one excellent tackle and stepped up in other tight moments to keep Hoffenheim out.

    Bernardo Silva 7 – His impact as a sub won’t be seen on the stats sheet, but he made sure City didn’t skip a beat after losing Gundogan to injury, keeping their possession game intact.

    Riyad Mahrez 6 – His pace and tricky running after coming on in the second half made him an instant threat, though he didn’t quite produce a telling impact.

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