Player ratings: Manchester City v Newcastle United

Hart – An excellent low save from Demba Ba when the game was goalless made this a more comfortable afternoon than it might have been. 7

Richards – Great flicked finish for the second goal and won the second penalty with a typically powerful run. 61% of his passes were completed in the opposition half, illustrating how Mancini encourages Micah to attack. 8

Kompany – Lost the ball carelessly in the first half and was fortunate not to see Newcastle score. Let’s hope they’ll be none of that against Napoli. 6

Lescott – Continued where he left off for England. Solid in defence and willing to step forward and break up play. 7

Clichy – Having worked on first time crossing in training, it was noticeable how Gael put this into practice. Also made numerous interceptions in an impressive showing against the pacy Sammy Ameobi. 7

De Jong – Looked sharper than of late and the team was all the better for it. Nigel’s positional discipline kept Newcastle at bay. 7

Y Toure (Barry 84) – Started deep before moving forward to devastating effect. Demonstrated his control before shooting to win the opening penalty. 7

Milner – Another industrious performance against a former employer. Started on the wing before moving deeper to allow Yaya to step up. 8

Nasri – So much for the tendonitis that was claimed to rule Samir out till December. Arguably his best game for City as he roamed and linked up play. Noticeable how he takes on responsibility in the absence of Silva. 8

Aguero (A Johnson 75) – Looked a little jetlagged early on and still appears to be acclimatising to the Premier League. Still produced some quality touches and took his penalty with aplomb. 6

Balotelli (Silva 69) – Not always hugely involved but still posed a threat. Typically confident penalty then departed early, possibly with Napoli in mind. 6

Subs:

Silva – Lovely reverse pass with his first contribution, setting Micah free to earn the second penalty. 7

A Johnson – Looked lively as he celebrated his contract renewal. 6

Barry – Brought on to close the game out. 6

Man of the match: Micah Richards.