Manchester City 1-1 West Brom: Player Ratings as Baggies Hold Out for Impressive Point
A Ruben Dias own goal condemned Manchester City to a disappointing 1-1 draw against struggling West Brom, which lost the Citizens further ground in the Premier League title race on Tuesday night.
The home side struck first when Raheem Sterling's cutback was side footed home by the on-rushing Ilkay Gundogan. Against the run of play, West Brom levelled things up after the break when Semi Ajayi's shot was deflected off Ruben Dias' and past Ederson.
After the break, City enjoyed the lionshare of possession but struggled to break their opponents down. The closest they came was when Gundogan's header was saved by Sam Johnstone from point blanc range with minutes left to play.
Here are your Citizens and Baggies player ratings...
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Ederson (GK) - 6/10 - Made a smart and important stop from Karlan Grant early on. Could do nothing about the goal as the deflection wrong-footed him.
Joao Cancelo (RB) - 5/10 - Picked up a yellow card for mouthing off the referee at half time. Silly boy. His frustration was understandable as he enjoyed very little joy going forward throughout,
Ruben Dias (CB) - 5/10 - His deflection was unfortunate as was the decision by the Dubious Goals panel to rule against him.
Nathan Ake (CB) - 6/10 - Rarely troubled. Made a few unnecessary fouls.
Benjamin Mendy (LB) - 6/10 - Stole the show with his terrific haircut. In terms of his performance... he was full of energy, but lacked an end product.
2. Midfielders
Rodri (CM) - 6/10 - Kept possession circling, making more passes than anyone else on the pitch. Occasionally held onto the ball a little too long.
Ilkay Gundogan (CM) - 7/10 - Finished calmly for his first Premier League goal of the season. So close to winning it at the end... twice.
Kevin de Bruyne (AM) - 7/10 - Tried his best to break the stubborn Baggies down with some searching long passes. Showed good intensity as the game slipped away from City.
3. Forwards
Phil Foden (RW) - 5/10 - Might have prevented West Brom's goal by challenging Sawyers for the header. Pretty quiet.
Gabriel Jesus (ST) - 6/10 - Did not give Baggies' backline a moment's rest in the second half, pressing well. Nothing really broke for him.
Raheem Sterling (LW) - 7/10 - Provided the assist for Gundogan's goal. Lack of width in the first half was strange as it hampered his side.
4. Substitutes
Kyle Walker - 7/10 - Added a shot of adrenalin to his side's attack.
Sergio Aguero - 5/10 - Looked busy after coming on but spurned his one chance.
5. Goalkeepers & Defenders
Sam Johnstone (GK) - 9/10 - Made two stunning saves in the final minutes to earn his side a vital point.
Darnell Furlong (RB) - 8/10 - A dominant aerial display. He won five headers overall, cutting out City's switches of play well.
Semi Ajayi (CB) - 8/10 - Played a big part in his side's goal, battling well to get his shot away.
Dara O'Shea (CB) - 7/10 - A few worrying moments, but largely impressive. Had racked up eight clearances by the final whistle.
Kieron Gibbs (LB) - 7/10 - Kept Sterling at arm's length for most of the game. but should have got tighter to him for the goal.
6. Midfielders
Jake Livermore (DM) - 8/10 - Great organisation. He was constantly communicating with his less experienced teammates, helping them secure the point.
Matt Phillips (RM) - 7/10 - Fared well against the overlapping runs of Mendy. Not given many opportunities to break forward.
Conor Gallagher (CM) - 8/10 - Incredible energy throughout but also showed discipline to help frustrate the hosts.
Romaine Sawyers (CM) - 7/10 - His header led to the equaliser. It summed up a battling performance from the Baggies no.19.
Grady Diangana (LM) - 8/10 - Recovered to put in a decent defensive performance after losing Sterling for the opener. Made three blocks.
7. Forwards
Karlan Grant (ST) - 5/10 - Missed a massive chance in the opening exchanges. Was completely starved off service afterwards.
8. Substitutes
Charlie Austin - 7/10 - Did a better job than Grant at holding things up, earning an important foul to eat up the clock.
Lee Peltier - N/A