Player ratings: Manchester City v Swansea City
Hart – Looking full of confidence and expertly did what he had to do. 7
Richards – Disciplined in his defending and a powerhouse when going forward. Beautiful cross for Aguero’s first. 8
Kompany – With Lescott picking up Graham for most of the game this was a comfortable evening for Vincent. 7
Lescott – Dominated his opponent in an impressive defensive display. A few errant passes were the only flaw. 7
Clichy – Fitted in like he’d been playing in the side for years. Showed a good touch and his eagerness to intercept danger is clearly a feature of the French international’s game. 8
De Jong (Aguero 60 mins) – Superb once he moved forward to curtail Swansea’s passing game. The injury is a concern as no-one else can do Nigel’s job quite like the man himself. 8
Barry – An assured game where he refused to be ruffled by Swansea’s possession. Covered well for his team-mates. 7
Y Toure – Looking leaner than last season and better for it. Linked up well and went on a couple of trademark runs, but the less said about the finishing the better. 7
Silva (Milner 81 mins) – The hub of all that was good in our attacking play. Knits our approach play together and finally managed to take one of the chances that came his way. 9
Dzeko – Whether it was his goal or the arrival of Aguero, there was a huge improvement in the Bosnian’s game during the final half-hour. Prior to that was a mixed bag of the good and the ungainly. 7
Johnson (Savic 74 mins) – Attacked his full-back and looked dangerous throughout the match. Arguably his best display since returning from injury in the middle of last season. 8
Subs:
Aguero – Yeah it was only against a tiring Swansea… BUT the touch, movement, burst of speed, flexibility and finishing were superb. That second goal will live long in the memory. 9
Savic – Great to see Mancini give the young Montenegran his first taste of Premier League football. Showed great confidence and ability in his passing, though was caught out by the pace of it all a couple of times. 7
Milner – Unlucky not to start and had little time to make an impression. Helped keep the midfield ticking over. 7
Man of the match: David Silva.
When De Jong Goes Sliding IN
16 August 2011 - 11:28 am
Bit harsh on Dzeko. Putting the brilliance of Silva to one side, and an amazing 30 min cameo from Kun, I thought Edin was MOM. Stronger than he’s been in the past, hungrier, always on the shoulder of their defenders and back defending when we needed him.
12345
16 August 2011 - 1:16 pm
Too right Edin had a great game, down the channels and leading the line. Chuffed for him with the goal.
Only downer on the night was listening to Mark Lawrenceson afterwards on 5 live, made some disparaging comments and gave credit begrudgingly…moustache was the only decent bone in him…