



Another fixture, another win. Life under Pep has begun wonderfully for the Cityzens, 3 points on a windy afternoon in Stoke is surely something Guardiola can add to his long list of accomplishments. But how did City get there? Well, two first half goals from Aguero meant things were relatively calm going into the last 45. But things became a bit nervy for most of the second half after Stoke were awarded a controversial (or ridiculous) penalty and Bojan converted making the score 2-1. Late on, substitute Nolito converted twice on mere tap ins to secure the victory, below I've listed each players rating out of 10.

Caballero- 6.0

Can't fault him for the goal as it was a penalty, and made a wonderful save near the end of the first half. The reason his rating is lower is the poor distribution he displayed a few times in the match. With Claudio Bravo on the verge on going City things will get really interesting soon.

John Stones- 8.0

93% pass completion percentage and 7 clearances. Stones has taken to City like a duck takes to water and it's wonderful to see. The money spent will follow him around for the rest of his City career, but right now it looks like money well spent.

Otamendi- 6.5

Nico still looks uncomfortable at times in Guardiola's system. After Pep's comments midweek about his defenders staying on their feet, Otamendi restrained himself for the most part, but there were a couple times you could see he really wanted to dive in. With Kompany getting closer to match fitness, Otamendi must be looking over his shoulder.

Kolarov- 6.5

A fine performance for Kolarov on the day, made one or two nice runs, but after playing midweek seemed to lose what little pace he had as the game went on. Nothing wrong with his performance but also nothing particularly spectacular.

Zabaleta- 6.0

The captain on the day, Zabaleta seemed a bit off the pace during large chunks of the game. Perhaps playing midweek was the cause, or time is just catching up to the Argentine. For the most part defensively he played well, holding Arnautovic off the scoresheet, but when Sagna is fit again, Zabaleta's place must be in question.

Fernandinho- 7.0

Another solid showing from Fernandinho working pretty much alone in the middle of the park. As this team plays together, Fernandinho seems to become more comfortable in his role. Breaking up counters and dropping deeper to begin attacks suits the Brazilian and with more time we'll see even better from him.

David Silva- 7.0

Silva showed again when given space (and sometimes when given none) he can pick a team apart with his passing. He may have not been on the score-sheet but the magician was all over the park Saturday afternoon.

Kevin De Bruyne- 7.0

De Bruyne seems to be finding his way in Pep's system slowly but surely. A wonderful free kick delivered right onto Sergio's head got De Bruyne an assist, and on the counter there were flashes of the player last year bursting forward and taking on defenders, but there is still something lacking on De Bruyne's final product. When it comes together, City's attack might be even scarier.

Sterling- 7.5

Another wonderful performance from Raheem Sterling. Every single time he was given the ball he looked to take on his defender. Whether playing on the right or the left he looked dangerous for 90 minutes and was rewarded with an assists are selflessly squaring for Nolito in the dying minutes.

Jesus Navas- 6.0

Like most games he played in last year Jesus Navas had a moment or two that made you think, "wow what a play", unfortunately they come far to infrequently and sporadically for a team with the ambition of City. Once Sané becomes fit, Navas must either step his game up or face the possibility of a long year on the bench.

Sergio Aguero- 8.5

What a day for Aguero. The most prolific striker perhaps in City's history netted twice against Stoke (including a redeeming penalty to open the scoring). No matter where he was on the pitch Aguero looked dangerous taking on all comers. The only negative on display could be his link up with Sterling, but with time these two might lead the league is goals and assists.

Subs

Nolito- 8.0

Two goals means you can't really give Nolito a lower rating than this. Granted they were tap ins, but Nolito looked lively in his time on the field.

Iheanacho- 7.0

An assist on the third and a wonderful dummy on the fourth, Iheanacho just extended his contract until 2021, the future is bright, I might need new shades.

Delph- N/A

Brought on to see the game out, didn't really have a chance to make an impact, but will almost certainly see more time midweek in the second leg against Steaua.

That's it for my ratings, let me know what you think in the comments down below and vote for who you think was the man of the match!