Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester City: Cityzens' Player Ratings as Haaland scores his 10th goal of the season | Premier League 2022-23

Manchester City drew 1-1 with Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday, September 3.

Villa came into this game on the back of a dismal run of games. They managed a win and four losses in their opening five games, earning three points in the process. Their only win was against fellow strugglers Everton. Steven Gerrard's men were keen to put in a strong performance against the defending champions.

City, on the other hand, entered this contest as one of only three sides in the league with an unbeaten record. Their record read the opposite of the hosts', having won four and drawn one game prior to this one. Pep Guardiola fielded an unchanged lineup as he looked to extend their run. All eyes were on Erling Haaland, who scored two hat-tricks in his last two games.

🔵 TEAM NEWS 🔵

XI | Ederson, Walker, Dias, Stones, Cancelo, Rodrigo, Gundogan (C), De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Haaland

SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Ake, Grealish, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Palmer, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand

#ManCity | @HaysWorldwide https://t.co/kgMUtweBtA

Aston Villa made a composed start to the game, defending in numbers and preventing Manchester City an easy run at goal. They tried to compact the central areas of the pitch in a bid to force the visitors wide. However, Joao Cancelo and Kevin De Bruyne's passing range was too much for the Villans to contain.

The hosts suffered a moment of worry as Matty Cash went down injured and had to be replaced by Ashley Young. The veteran rolled back the years and showcased his experience as he made a strong start to give his teammates and the crowd a boost. Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa did well to contain Haaland in the first period.

Kyle Walker had a glorious opportunity to tee up the Norwegian, but went for goal himself in what turned out to be the biggest chance for either side. The game stayed deadlocked at 0-0 as the sides went into the break.

HALF-TIME | All square at the break! 🤝

🟣 0-0 🐝 #ManCity | @NESCAFE https://t.co/hITHqNZue9

The game burst into action in the second period as both sides took a more offensive approach and space opened up. De Bruyne provided a classy assist for Haaland to score from just five minutes after the restart. It was his 10th goal in just six league appearances. Despite conceding, Aston Villa refused to back down and continued playing good football.

The hosts were rewarded for their persistence despite chasing the game for most of the time. They scored against the run of play as Jacob Ramsey played a sweet pass into Leon Bailey's path, who scored with a perfectly-timed shot to make it 1-1. Manchester City had a couple of chances late on as Rodri came close to firing them ahead.

Despite the second half ending with a flurry of chances for either side, neither were able to snatch the win as Aston Villa held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw. That said, let's take a look at how Pep Guardiola's men performed.

Manchester City Player Ratings

Ederson - 6/10

Ederson had a decent game in goal as he distributed the ball with 90% accuracy, including seven accurate long balls.

Kyle Walker - 6/10

Walker made a good start to the game but squandered an early opportunity for Manchester City to take the lead. He won three of his five duels, played one key pass and four accurate long balls. Walker missed one big chance as well.

John Stones - 7/10

Stones made a commanding start at the heart of the visitors' defense. He won all four of his duels, making one tackle and one clearance. Stones passed the ball with 97% accuracy, including three long balls.

Ruben Dias - 7/10

Dias was physical and tracked Ollie Watkins' runs well. He won seven of his eight duels, making three tackles and three clearances. Dias passed the ball with 93% accuracy, including three long balls.

Joao Cancelo - 7.5/10

Cancelo used his passing range to switch the direction of play in key moments for his side. He won eight of his 12 duels, making two tackles and two interceptions in the process. Cancelo also played one key pass and four accurate long balls.

Rodri - 7/10

Rodri was solid in the pivot role for Manchester City as they assumed control of the central areas of the pitch. He won six of his 13 duels and played three accurate long balls.

Kevin De Bruyne - 8.5/10

De Bruyne was at his creative and attacking best as he ran the show for his side. He created plenty of chances and provided an assist for City's opening goal. He played six key passes and created two big chances, apart from hitting the woodwork once.

Ilkay Gundogan - 7/10

Gundogan was Manchester City's captain on the night and distributed the ball well. He played two key passes and six accurate long balls. He also created one big chance.

Bernardo Silva - 6.5/10

Bernardo weaved his way through tight spaces to create opportunities for his teammates to move forward. He won three of his seven duels and completed one dribble. Silva also played one accurate cross and three accurate long balls.

Phil Foden - 6.5/10

Foden was fairly ineffective in the final third as most of the dangerous chances Manchester City created were from the opposite flank.

Erling Haaland - 8/10

Haaland continued in his rich vein of form, scoring his 10th goal of the season in just his sixth game. Haaland also played one key pass and won two of his five duels.

Substitutes

Riyad Mahrez - 6.5/10

Mahrez came on late in the game and put in a decent performance.

Nathan Ake - 6/10

Ake was brought on for Walker for the closing stages to provide City with fresh legs in defense.