Man City player ratings: Foden the pick as epic winning run comes to an end at Brighton

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It was the day when Man City’s recent epic winning run came to an end, but Pep Guardiola should still be happy with the industry his side showed against a hugely impressive Brighton and Hove Albion side.

After Phil Foden opened the scoring, the visitors were pegged back by an outrageous Julio Enciso finish, and were it not for VAR, Erling Haaland would’ve given City the win.

On balance of play, a point apiece was probably the right result.

Ratings

Stefan Ortega (7.5) – Nowhere near the equaliser or Danny Welbeck’s free-kick, but was reasonably solid after a shaky start.

Kyle Walker (6) – For someone so agile and quick, he was often beaten down his side by Mitoma. Not his best night going forward either.

John Stones (8) – A player full of confidence and it shows. Calm under pressure and able to bring the ball out with ease. Rarely put a foot wrong.

Rodri (6) – Was interesting to see him in defence where he acquitted himself reasonably well. A typical Guardiola move where he’d rather a player sink or swim.

Rico Lewis (5.5) – Didn’t really do an awful lot wrong, but wasn’t as involved as he should’ve been and consequently drifted in and out of the match.

Kevin De Bruyne (5.5) – The Belgian’s performance had a real ‘end of season’ feel about it. Aside from the odd burst forward, there was little to indicate he was on the pitch. A bit of a disappointment to be honest.

Ilkay Gundogan (6.5) – Still driving the players forward late in the game and leading by example throughout. Could’ve done a little better in possession at times but a functional if not headline grabbing performance.

Bernardo Silva (5.5) – A bit like De Bruyne in that it wasn’t his best night, but nor did he do anything wrong. The midfield pair have just set the bar so high and it’s unusual to see them drop below it.

Riyad Mahrez (5.5) – Wasn’t afforded the time or space to get his natural game going and, as a result, was another who drifted in and out of the match.

Erling Haaland (7) – You could sense his frustration at having what would likely have been the game winner ruled out. A handful for much of the game and set Foden up for the opener.

Phil Foden (9) – Though he had to go off after just 51 minutes, the England international was head and shoulders above his team-mates. Probing, passing and linking well, he was a constant thorn in the home side’s defence.

Cole Palmer (6.5) – Would’ve been a delightful assist for Haaland if it had been allowed to stand. Was effervescent during his cameo without being brilliant.

Julian Alvarez (6) – For once, the Argentinian offered nothing by way of goal threat, though he did have the Brighton defence backing off on more than one occasion thanks to his penchant for running directly at the heart of the Brighton defence.

Sergio Gomez (4) – Came on far too late to make an impression.

Kalvin Phillips (4) – As with Gomez, a cursory sub in a game that meant little to the visitors.

More Stories Bernardo Silva Cole Palmer Erling Haaland Ilkay Gundogan John Stones Julian Alvarez Kalvin Phillips Kevin De Bruyne Kyle Walker ortega moreno Phil Foden Rico Lewis Riyad Mahrez Rodri sergio gomez Stefan Ortega