Manchester City
Ortega – 7
The City cup goalkeeper once again put in a solid performance as Ederson’s deputy. Kept the ball well under pressure from the arsenal press.
Lewis – 6
Probably the 18-year-old’s toughest test so far in a City shirt and it showed. While he continued to add an extra body to the City midfield, he was caught out a number of times by Trossard, before being substituted just before the hour mark for the more experienced Walker.
Akanji – 7
City’s best performing defender across the whole game, kept Nketiah quiet all throughout the match and helped start the City attacks.
Stones – 6
Struggled to deal with Trossard at times in the first half before coming off earlier than expected after he looked like he picked up an injury just before half-time.
Ake – 8
Another solid performance from a player many would view as the weak point in the home side's defence. His pace seems to fit this new asymmetric back three that Guardiola has introduced as he showed tonight. However, it was his contribution at the other end that made the biggest difference in the game with a well taken finish on his weaker foot to open the scoring.
Rodri – 6
Did not get on the ball as much as he usually does as he was well pressed by the Arsenal midfield. While the Spanish midfielder didn’t dictate the play as much as he would've liked, he still helped keep City solid throughout the game.
Gundogan – 6
Did not offer much at either end of the pitch, but kept the ball rolling over during City attacks.
Mahrez – 6
Struggled to get into the game with very few chances to run at the opposition during his time on the pitch. Did link up well with Lewis in spells but failed to produce any direct goal threat.
De Bruyne – 7
Any game in which the Belgian creator fails to register a goal involvement seems like a poor performance. However, he was once again one of the best players on the pitch with his contributions both going forward and defensively.
Grealish – 7
Another good performance from a player that seems to be growing into his role in the City side and he once again showed why with his performance. The England international did well to find Ake with the pass leading to the goal and was a threat throughout the game.
Haaland – 6
Caused the Arsenal defence a number of problems that even saw Holding replaced at half-time. Didn’t have any clear-cut chances during the game but did well to hold up the ball for his side.
Laporte – 7
Fared better than Stones when he came on to replace him and got a vital touch which denied Nketiah a clear shot at goal.
Walker – 7
His experience over Lewis showed in his performance as the right back did well to stem the Arsenal attacks down his side and give City more control in the game.
Alvarez – 7
Offered a lot more threat than Mahrez when he came on and his strike against the post started the move for the winning goal.
B.SIlva - N/A
Arsenal
Turner – 7
Similar to Ortega the American goalkeeper did well in his deputy role to Ramsdale and could do very little with the goal. Had a really good starting position on the occasions he was needed to sweep behind the Arsenal defence.
Tomiyasu – 6
Failed to offer anything going forward aside from a tame shot at goal and had trouble dealing with Grealish on his side of the pitch.
Holding – 5
Really struggled to deal with Haaland in the first half which led to him being booked and was substituted at the interval.
Gabriel – 6
Dealt much better with Holding that his centre back partner but still looked unsure at times without Saliba next to him and struggled even when reunited with his usual partner at the back.
Tierney – 6
Had a bright spell in the opening 20 minutes and helped cause problems for Lewis and Stones down the Arsenal left wing. However, he quickly disappeared out of the game before being replaced by Zinchenko.
Xhaka – 6
Did well to keep the City midfield quiet for large parts of the game but didn’t have the impact going forward as much as he has had the rest of the seasons for Arsenal
Partey – 7
The Ghanaian midfielder has been the lynchpin for this arsenal side this season and his absence showed in the second half with his replacement Lokonga struggled to fill the big shoes left behind.
Vieira – 5
Coming in to give Odegaard a rest, the summer signing struggled to make any real impact in the game and was rightly replaced in the second half.
Saka – 5
The young forward struggled up against Nathan Ake on the Arsenal right wing and didn’t track him back for the goal. A very tame and lacklustre performance considering his form this season.
Nketiah – 6
The deputy striker once again looked dangerous when in and around the City box but unfortunately, he failed to convert any of the chances given to him.
Trossard – 7
The Belgian made his full debut in this game and looked really lively in the first half, causing Lewis and Stones several problems in the opening 45 minutes of the game. However, he failed to match this impact in the second half.
Lokonga – 5
The young Belgian probably saw his second half cameo as a chance to solve Arsenal’s lack of midfield depth. However, he struggled against a very experienced City midfield.
Saliba – 6
Despite conceding while being on the pitch, the Frenchmen did his job of keeping Haaland quiet much better than Holding and will be annoyed to have conceded.
Martinelli – N/A
Zinchenko – N/A
Odegaard – N/A
