Premier League 2019-20: Manchester City player ratings from their 2-2 draw against Tottenham
Dramatic circumstances ensured that Manchester City drew with Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 instead of winning 3-2 in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Saturday.
Gabriel Jesus' stoppage-time goal was ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) after conclusive evidence suggested that center-back Aymeric Laporte had inadvertently handled the ball on the immediate build-up.
It was a game which had an equal amount of highs and lows. Here, we rate the Manchester City players on the basis of their performance on Saturday.
1) Ederson - 6/10
Goalkeeper Ederson, who has earned quite a reputation around the league for being the perfect sweeper-keeper, had an average game on Saturday.
The Brazilian was decent at times when the ball went close to him, but when he needed to protect Aymeric Laporte and Nicolas Otamendi, he was found wanting.
2) Oleksandr Zinchenko - 7/10
Left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is filling in for the injured Benjamin Mendy, was superb in all his forward runs at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. His crossing was exquisite too.
The Ukranian is very good with the ball at his feet, and can run into empty spaces with ease.
3) Aymeric Laporte - 6/10
Manchester City's best centre-half in general, Frenchman Aymeric Laporte had a far from perfect game on Saturday. His communication decisions were questionable, and so were his man-marking skills.
However, he did a commendable job at keeping Harry Kane quiet.
4) Nicolas Otamendi - 5/10
Nicolas Otamendi partnered Laporte in central defence against Tottenham on Saturday. He lost far too many battles in the air and duels on the ground for manager Guardiola's liking. The Argentine was highly unimpressive, and would be expected to better his performance going ahead in the season.
5) Kyle Walker - 8/10
Right-back Kyle Walker faces stiff competition from new signing Joao Cancelo in his position but he was exquisite against Spurs at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. His pace was terrifying and his crosses were second to none, although he can be blamed for not contesting Lucas Moura's header for Spurs' second goal.
6) Ilkay Gundogan - 7/10
Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who played on the left side in the centre of the park, was stylish on the ball and hungry off it. He ruled the roost and allowed his other teammates around him to breathe free and play attacking football.
7) Rodri - 7.5/10
New acquisition Rodri, who has taken old warhorse Fernandinho's (who is also injured) spot in central midfield, was brilliant once again on Saturday. His passing and ball distribution skills are exemplary, just as his back-tracking (whenever the ball gets lost) is.
8) Kevin de Bruyne - 9/10
Manchester City's captain on the night Kevin de Bruyne is certainly one of the best midfielders in the Premier League at the moment. His vision with the ball is unmatched, and how he finds empty spaces where mere mortal see huge walls can only be answered by him. De Bruyne's passing skills are world-class.
9) Raheem Sterling - 8/10
Scoring Manchester City's first goal, Raheem Sterling added to his tally of three goals he netted against West Ham last week. The Englishman proved to be unstoppable on the left wing and literally toyed with Spurs right-back Kyle Walker Peters on Saturday.
10) Sergio Aguero - 7/10
Manchester City's all-time leading goalscorer scored his team's second goal of the match but created headlines later when he foul-mouthed manager Guardiola on being substituted. His exploits on the pitch seemed lethargic and a bit wanting.
11) Bernardo Silva - 8/10
One of the best players on show in the match, Portuguese right winger Bernardo Silva, in the words of football writer Liam Canning, "never runs out of energy." He was excellent against Spurs and was unlucky to not score on more than one occasion.
SUBSTITUTES:
12) Gabriel Jesus - 7/10
Gabriel Jesus was substituted on for Sergio Aguero in the 66th minute. He created news by finding the back of the net in stoppage time to seemingly win the game for Manchester City, only for the goal to be ruled out by VAR due to an inadvertent handball committed by Laporte in the build-up. He was pretty good on the ball on Saturday.
13) David Silva - N/A
Spaniard David Silva came on for Rodri in the 78th minute but had far too few touches of the ball to be judged for his performance.
14) Riyad Mahrez - N/A
Like club captain Silva who came on later in the game, Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez also had far too few touches of the ball to be judged for his performance at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.