Manchester City 4 Newcastle 0: City player ratings as City emphatically dispatch Newcastle | OneFootball

Manchester City 4 (Omar Marmoush 19′, 24′, 33, James McAtee 84′)

Newcastle United 0

Here are the City player ratings as Manchester City emphatically dispatched Newcastle United 4-nil at the Etihad. A hat trick from Omar Marmoush will get the headlines, but it is Pep Guardiola’s side’s most complete performance for some time. When the starting lineups were announced there was concern over the fact that Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake weren’t in the City matchday squad. But the hope is that their absence is a precaution as the performance of the world champions takes the headlines.

It was a crucial win for Pep Guardiola’s side in the battle to secure Champions League football for next season. Manchester City now sit fourth on the Premier League table after the weekend’s results and they should have gained plenty of confidence from today’s performance.

First half

The game kicked off with Manchester City looking calm and poised over the first 10 minutes in possession. The ability of Nico to get on the ball and help his team control the tempo of proceedings did stand out early on. Newcastle did look solid defensively and were keeping a good shape at the back. The opening 10 minutes did pass by without incident although a surging run by Savinho almost broke through Newcastle’s defence.

The first shot of the game came in the 16th minute for Manchester City. A well-worked move saw Omar Marmoush break into the Newcastle area. But his left-footed strike from a difficult angle went flying over the bar.

Omar Marmoush scores his first goal for Manchester City to break the deadlock!!!!!

In the 19th minute, Manchester City would take the lead. A simple long ball from Ederson split the Newcastle defence and played in Omar Marmoush. The Egyptian international expertly chipped a stranded Martin Dubravka to give Pep Guardiola’s side a well-deserved lead. It was a simple goal in its construction but a beautiful goal to watch unfold.

Marmoush makes it 2-nil after a great run and ball from Ilkay Gundogan!!

In the 24th minute, Omar Marmoush would make it 2-nil. A driving run from Ilkay Gundogan had the Newcastle defence on the back foot. He calmly played in Omar Marmoush whose right-footed strike went in with the aid of a deflection. City’s lead was well-deserved and did reflect the balance of the play.

Savinho almost made it 3-nil in the 28th minute. A sweeping City move, which started on the edge of their own area, left Savinho one-on-one with Lewis Hall on City’s right wing. He played a neat one-two with Phil Foden, and his shot was hit too close to Martin Dubravka who saved his shot with ease.

A Manchester City error at the back created Newcastle’s first chance of the afternoon. But Alexander Isak’s shot was blocked by John Stones and it sailed wide. But it was a warning to Pep Guardiola’s side to not lose concentration which has cost them so often over the past few months.

Omar Marmoush completes his first Manchester City hat trick after some Savinho brilliance!!!!!

Omar Marmoush would make it 3-nil to Manchester City in the 33rd minute. A superb run from Savinho, who was giving Lewis Hall a torrid time, saw the Brazilian winger play a simple ball to the penalty spot. Omar Marmoush was on hand to fire home his third and seal his hat trick. It was a superb goal and Savinho deserves all of the credit for his play to set up Marmoush.

Following the hat trick from Omar Marmoush the remainder of the second half played out without incident. Manchester City would take a 3-nil lead into the interval and it was thoroughly deserved.

Second half

With Manchester City 3-nil up, it was up to Newcastle United to impose themselves on the second half. For the opening 10 minutes, Eddie Howe’s side did have spells of possession and a couple of corners, but nothing came of it all.

Newcastle had a good chance in the 60th minute after a well-constructed move. Some neat interplay around the Manchester City area saw Lewis Miley have a shot in acres of space. But his powerful shot was hit straight at Ederson who made a comfortable save.

After a lull in proceedings, James McAtee makes it 4-nil.

From there, Manchester City controlled possession, and Newcastle looked to have given up the fight for the afternoon. In the 84th minute, James McAtee would make it 4-nil for Manchester City. A corner from Ilkay Gundogan was flicked onto the back post by Erling Haaland and James McAtee was on hand to tap in to make it 4-nil to City.

Following McAtee’s goal the remainder of the game played out without incident. Manchester City picked up a precious three points in the battle for Champions League qualification and, on the day, showed exactly what they’re capable of.

Summary

The City player ratings reflect Manchester City’s performance as no starter gets under a 7/10 on the day. Pep Guardiola’s side was that dominant and the City player ratings reflect that.

City player ratings

Ederson-9/10: He only had one save to make, but his assist for City’s opener was Ederson at his best. The very best respond after a poor performance or error, and Ederson did just that.

Rico Lewis-7.5/10: Did his job well in possession and defensively.

Abdukodir Khusanov-8.5/10: Manchester City have a serious player on their hands in Khusanov. He defended well and was good in possession.

John Stones-9/10: Stones was brilliant. Whether it was in possession or when he had to defend he led the way at the back. His leadership was crucial to City’s win.

Josko Gvardiol-8/10: As per usual, Gvardiol was brilliant whether it was defensively or going forward. He is a Rolls Royce of a footballer and that was on full display today.

Nico-10/10: He put in a performance that showed exactly what Manchester City have lacked since Rodri’s injury. A brilliant showing from the Spanish midfielder.

Ilkay Gundogan-8/10: The Manchester City legend turned back the clock today with a quality display. You could tell that having Nico in midfield brought out the best in Gundogan.

Phil Foden-8/10: Foden played one of his best games as a pure midfielder in a high-stakes game for his team. He did the simple things well, and that did stand out before he was substituted.

Omar Marmoush-10/10: Scored his first Manchester City hat trick and showed exactly why City were so eager to sign him in January. Marmoush announced himself to the Premier League today with a superb performance.

Savinho-9/10: The Brazilian international was utterly devastating on the right wing. He tormented Lewis Hall all afternoon in a fantastic performance.

Erling Haaland-8/10: A proper captain’s performance from Haaland. He did all of the grunt work for his team and picked up an assist for McAtee’s goal. But his overall performance was brilliant.

Substitutes

Jeremy Doku-N/A: Not on long enough but was lively after coming on.

James McAtee-N/A: Grabbed a goal but wasn’t on long enough to give a proper score.

Nico O’Reilly-N/A: Not on long enough to mark but did put in a couple tough challenges.

Mateo Kovacic-N/A: Not on long to mark.

Matheus Nunes-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.