Football
David Mooney, Manchester City blogger 7y

Stones, De Bruyne, Silva superb as Man City brush Feyenoord aside

If Manchester City are ever to be feared in Europe, they need to start putting in performances that brush aside teams who aren't considered the Champions League elite. On Wednesday evening, Pep Guardiola's side did exactly that: The game at Feyenoord was over inside 25 minutes, as City took a commanding 3-0 lead. It was a walk in the park after that.

Positives

The attacking play was a joy for the travelling fans to behold, as City cut through their opponents time and again. The visitors earned the right to take it easy in the second half, with a blistering display in the opening 45 minutes, and they've put themselves in a commanding position in the group. It will go down as one of the classic victories for the club's ever-growing Champions League portfolio.

Negatives

Absolutely nothing went wrong for City, and to pick a negative from that display would be extremely harsh.

Manager rating

10 out of 10 -- Guardiola got his tactics spot-on to exploit Feyenoord's weaknesses, and he managed to get his key men off early enough to rest them for the match against Watford on Saturday.

Player ratings (1-10, with 10 the best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Ederson Moraes, 6 -- The goalkeeper had nothing to do but was alert to keep the ball moving with his feet when he had to.

DF Kyle Walker, 8 -- The full-back worked his socks off up and down the right flank, causing all manner of problems for the home side and earning a great assist for Aguero's goal.

DF John Stones, 9 -- Aside from some solid blocks and strong tackles, Stones was brilliant in the air to cut out Feyenoord's continued attempts to lift the ball over City's back four into space. With two cracking headers to book-end the scoring, it was a night to remember for the England centre-back.

DF Nicolas Otamendi, 7 -- The defender took no risks and, somewhat out of character, stood up well without diving into challenges. Like Stones, he was good in the air and read the game well.

DF Benjamin Mendy, 8 -- The left-back was a mirror image of Walker on the right flank, speeding up and down the wing to create havoc. His pace continued to cause problems all evening, his crossing was always dangerous, and he stood up to the challenge defensively.

MF Fernandinho, 8 -- Following his great performance against Liverpool, the midfielder was the anchor that allowed the creative players to run riot in front of him. He's an underrated cog in this proverbial City machine.

MF Bernardo Silva, 7 -- It took a while for the playmaker to get into the game, but once he settled, City were already 3-0 up and in full control. By the end, Silva was enjoying himself and popping up across the pitch.

MF David Silva, 9 -- It never seemed possible for David Silva to get better, yet here we are, as the Spaniard again impressed beyond supporters' expectations. It was another masterclass in vision, through-balls and creativity.

MF Kevin De Bruyne, 9 -- After impressing against Liverpool, De Bruyne was again on form to create a plethora of chances for his side. His range of passing was impressive, and his vision to set teammates free was excellent.

FW Gabriel Jesus, 8 -- Any questions that Gabriel and Aguero aren't able to lead a line together are surely now quashed. His movement was key to City's attack looking so dynamic, and he was in the right place at the right time to score the third goal.

FW Sergio Aguero, 8 -- After netting his almost customary goal in the early stages with a superb finish, it was a fine display from the striker as he closes in on City's scoring record. With him only five behind Eric Brook, it'll happen very soon, especially if the Argentina international continues in this vein of form.

Substitutes

MF Raheem Sterling, 7 -- After replacing Aguero on the hour mark, Sterling was lively and created problems for Feyenoord, despite the game already beginning to wind down.

MF Fabian Delph, 6 -- It was a solid, if not spectacular, display for Delph's first appearance of the season, as he replaced David Silva on 67 minutes.

MF Leroy Sane, NR -- The Feyenoord defence would have been delighted to see Sane replacing Fernandinho in the 71st minute, and the German could have scored late on.

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