Europa League player ratings: Lech Poznan v Manchester City

Given – Hard not to feel for him. No chance with the goals and few opportunities to demonstrate his ability in the rest of the game. 6

Richards – A step backwards from his recent improved form. Some poorly timed tackles, careless in possession and often out of position. Looked tired mentally if not physically. 6

Bridge (Kolarov 70) – Showed good energy in getting up and down the pitch, and got into some decent positions. Needs to find a better end product when attacking and time his tackles better. 6

Boyata – It’s a test of character for the youngster at the moment. Should have scored after six minutes and was slightly culpable for the unlucky second. For a 6′ 2″ defender he should have got more height on his clearing header. 6

Lescott – Dominant in the air and our best defender on the night. Ought to be ahead of Boyata in the pecking order now. 7

Zabaleta – Plenty of enthusiasm and commitment without the required positional discipline. Needed to curb the instinct to get forward. 5

Vieira – Not a patch on his previous performance against Poznan. Pushed too far forward and wasn’t able to get back and do his defensive duties. Worse, he often lost possession to initiate Poznan attacks. 5

Milner (Kompany 78) – Given a chance to play in his preferred central position during the first half and was steady rather than spectacular. Continued in the same vein when moved to the left. 6

Wright-Phillips (Silva 46) – Started on the right and had a few decent touches before switching to the left and struggled from then on. Another chance blown. 5

A Johnson – The best of our wide players despite not hitting top form. His crosses, for Boyata at the start and Silva at the end, should have produced goals. 6

Adebayor – Continued his scoring run by following up his own powerful header with a sharp finish. Played the lone striker role effectively until the final quarter of an hour when he looked ready to be replaced. 6

Subs:

Silva – Came on to provide the creativity and quality that had been lacking after Poznan’s opener. Unfortunately his good work was undone by the costly miss at the end. 7

Kolarov – Eager to get forward and showed the quality of his left foot with one shot and a cross. Looks a little rusty defensively and needs a few games to gain sharpness. 6

Kompany – Looked to have done the desired job in steadying the midfield before disaster struck in the final minutes. 6

Man of the match: A tough one to call. David Silva edged it despite failing to take a couple of chances.