Man City vs West Ham player ratings as Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho beat Lukasz Fabianski to settle snowy contest
Man City 2-1 West Ham: Hammers substitute Manuel Lanzini scored a stunning consolation goal late on
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester City saw off West Ham 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday, with goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho settling a snowy contest at the Etihad Stadium before Manuel Lanzini’s impressive consolation strike late on.
Pep Guardiola’s side enjoyed the majority of possession but had to stay alert throughout, eventually securing the victory and going level on points with Chelsea ahead of the league leaders’ clash with Man United.
For West Ham, meanwhile, it was a second straight defeat, following last week’s somewhat surprising loss to Wolves.
Nevertheless, David Moyes’ team remained fourth in the Premier League, and they were spared a heavier defeat on the day thanks to a number of fine stops from goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
Here’s how each player performed.
Man City
Ederson – 7: Reacted well to stop Antonio from squeezing a shot past him at the near post in the first half. Distributed the ball with sharpness and precision.
Kyle Walker – 6: Tested Fabianski in the opening 10 minutes with a low, driven shot.
Ruben Dias – 7: The more composed of City’s central defenders, but was fortunate not to be booked for a cynical foul on Antonio.
Aymeric Laporte – 5: Skimmed the post with a header after getting the better of Soucek in the air. Was suckered into a couple of fouls on Antonio, leading to a yellow card that rules him out of City’s next game.
Joao Cancelo – 7: Was beaten by Antonio in the City box then nearly watched the forward beat Ederson, too. Started the move for City’s first goal with a fine, skimmed pass, however, and impressed after the break.
Rodri – 7: Kept City ticking over as they began to dominate possession as the game progressed.
Ilkay Gundogan – 8: Tucked away a close-range finish to break the deadlock. Assisted Fernandinho’s late goal with a tidy pass.
Bernardo Silva – 7: Contributed to the City cause quietly but diligently.
Riyad Mahrez – 7: Slid an accurate finish past Fabianski in the first half, only to see the offside flag raised. His deflected shot resulted in Gundogan’s goal.
Raheem Sterling – 6: Grew into the game, his movement and crossing improving in the second half. Left the pitch as Fernandinho came on for the final few minutes.
Gabriel Jesus – 7: Lively and troublesome throughout. Denied a goal by some crucial, last-gasp defending from Johnson before the break.
Substitutes: Fernandinho – 7: Came on late in the game, but still found time to drill home a low finish.
West Ham
Lukasz Fabianski – 8: Distribution suffered somewhat in the snowy conditions, but got down well to keep out a decent effort by Walker early on, and made numerous important stops later in the game.
Ben Johnson – 7: Produced a terrific goal-line clearance to keep the score at 1-0 towards the end of the first half.
Craig Dawson – 7: Always alert at the heart of West Ham’s defence, making some good clearances.
Kurt Zouma – 6: Won a few physical battles with Jesus and did not make many mistakes.
Aaron Cresswell – 6: Under pressure throughout as City targeted the left side of the visitors’ defence. Hurt himself sliding into the post with some brave defending in the second half. Replaced by Coufal shortly thereafter.
Arthur Masuaku – 6: Got out to press well early on, but was later pinned back by Mahrez as City’s front three rotated. Made way for Bowen as the second half ticked towards its conclusion.
Declan Rice – 6: Made some good interceptions and forward runs, as he usually does, only for the home team to shut him down quickly thereafter.
Tomas Soucek – 5: Failed to affect the game as City’s sharp midfield trio held the ball well throughout.
Said Benrahma – 6: Showed good movement in various moments to find openings in the final third, but wasted a decent early chance to score. Replaced by Lanzini around the hour mark.
Pablo Fornals – 5: Influence on the match was limited as West Ham struggled for possession.
Michail Antonio – 7: Did well to get past Cancelo near the byline in the first half, before almost scoring at the near post. Caused Laporte numerous problems that saw the centre-back booked.
Substitutes: Manuel Lanzini – 7; Vladimir Coufal – 6; Jarrod Bowen – 6.
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