Town were unlucky to be defeated 2-1 by the runaway league leaders Manchester City. Ther Terriers produced a spirited and disciplined performance that frustrated City and left them relying on a generous referee and a big slice of luck to get a win.

It’s quite tricky to break down the performance into individual scores because it was a great team effort, but I’ll give it a go anyway.

Lössl – 8 out of 10

Wasn’t able to play the ball short to the centrebacks as much as he’d have liked because City pressed high up the pitch. However, his distribution was intelligent and mostly well targeted. Made a good safe in the first half but parried the ball into Sterling’s path, thankfully he missed the open goal.

Smith – 7 out of 10

A mixed performance in my eyes. At some points he looked to be out of his depth and played mindless balls up field when he had the time to play a more thoughtful ball forward. At other times he looked very solid, assured and did a good job against Sane, who was one of the better opposition players on the day.

Zanka – 8 out of 10

Strong, organised, and confident at the back. He made a lot of useful little touches on the ball to take possession away from City in dangerous areas. He seems to step up for the big games, which is a great trait to have.

Schindler – 9 out of 10

His tackle on Aguero in the first half was sublime, one of the best I’ve seen from a Town player. At full stretch he managed to deny what looked like a certain goal. He also ranged forward and broke play up at vital moments and timed his tackles better than the last home game where he was sent off.

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Malone – 6 out of 10

He’ll be disappointed to have conceded the penalty by fouling Sterling. He generally played pretty well though, reining in his tendency to get forward and playing a more restrained role. His foul on DeBruyne was a bit silly, as the booking he received meant he was walking a tightrope. I suspect this, coupled with his tendency to flag towards the end of games, was the reason he was subbed.

Hogg – 8 out of 10

Did a great job of screening the defence and breaking up play. Like he absolutely always does. The gap between midfield and defence was too small for City’s attacking players to exploit, Hogg was a major part in that.

Mooy – 8 out of 10

Perhaps not his most influential performance for Town, but he grafted, sat deep when needed but made the odd foray forward too. His deliveries in open play were good and he helped start off a few attacks.

Williams – 8 out of 10

Another strong performance from the American. He kicked City’s players around a bit and unsettled their natural game. He’s not always pretty to watch but he’s effective. Didn’t make as many forward runs as he did in the Manchester United game when playing a similar system. But I think that might have been down to the coaches’ instructions.

van La Parra – 6 out of 10

He protected his fullback well defensively and also made some good runs up the field. I remember one fancy turn he did in his own half which was great. Sadly he’ll be remembered in this game for picking up a red card after the final whistle. I’ve not seen a reply yet and didn’t see much from the stands other than pushing and shoving. Apparently, he had his hands in Sane’s face, which if true is a pretty silly thing to do when the game’s over and done with.

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Ince – 6 out of 10

I’m a big fan of Ince and he made got into some good positions against City. Sadly his decision making suggested a lack of confidence, as he had opportunities to take on players at times and went for the safe option instead. I’m still expecting big things from him, the talent is clearly there, he just needs to get his head right. Goals are the obvious solution to his self-doubt, but if he can’t get those I’m not sure what else will give him the lift he needs.

Depoitre – 9 out of 10

A towering performance from the big centre forward. He ran himself into the ground as usual, won plenty, terrorised the defence, and showed some deft touches with the ball too. Often he was expected to do all the work up top on his own, which he went about without any fuss. Based on this kind of display it’ll be tough for Mounié to get back into the starting XI.

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Substitutes

Löwe – 7 out of 10

Did a good job of marking Raheem Sterling despite being left exposed by Town trying to push players forward. A safe pair of hands to bring on towards the end. Malone and Löwe must be almost neck and neck in the pecking order right now.

Quaner – 8 out of 10

Man City brought on Jesus, we brought on Collin Quaner. I’m a massive fan Big Col’s, but those two substitutions show the difference between the two sides. Having said that, Collin made some great runs, unsettled City’s defence and put some balls in the box.

Mounié – N/A

Not really on the pitch long enough to make an impact but he looked sharper than previous substitute appearances. If there was a fitness or attitude problem it seems to have gone and he might soon be challenging Depoitre for a starting berth. Though he may need to be patient.