Manchester City have beaten Real Madrid at the Bernabeu to boost their hopes of automatic qualification to the Champions League knockout stages.
After losing 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester City needed to respond tonight in the Spanish capital.
There were no changes whatsoever to the team that started against Sunderland at the weekend, with Pep Guardiola playing his strongest current side.
Who was the best player for Man City against Real Madrid?
Some great displays tonight in a big win! 🔥
And that resulted in a big performance and win, with Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland scoring after Real went ahead through Rodrygo.
Real applied some pressure towards the end as they searched for an equaliser. But City’s backline answered every question, and Guardiola’s Champions League campaign is now back on track.
The win moves City up to fourth in the League Phase table now, and here’s how we rated the players in tonight’s win.
Man City player ratings vs Real Madrid – Four stars get 8/10 on memorable night for Nico O’Reilly
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6
Didn’t have too much to do but The Italian also distributed the ball well throughout. Powerless to prevent Rodrygo’s goal.
Matheus Nunes – 6
Early scare as he fouled Vinicius Jr for a penalty, but it was ultimately given as a free-kick outside the area. Recovered well from that and made some good runs forward.
Ruben Dias – 7
Really strong performance at the back from Dias.
Josko Gvardiol – 8
Gvardiol was solid defensively, and his header forced the save which led to City’s equaliser by O’Reilly. He’s such a threat from set pieces. Gave young Gonzalo Garcia nothing.
Nico O’Reilly – 8
Gave Rodrygo too much space on the opening goal but responded very well and was in the right place to score his first ever Champions League goal. Almost got a fantastic assist for Haaland after a surging run just before half-time. What a player he is developing into. Booked.
Nico Gonzalez – 8
A memorable night for Nico O’Reilly as he scores his first ever Champions League goal!
Man City fans, just how good can NO'R become?! 😮💨
Such a wonderfully calm and composed display from Gonzalez in midfield amid a boisterous atmosphere. Data shows he completed 58/60 (97%) passes (via Sofascore). He also broke play up several times. This was the kind of performance City fans have seen many times from a certain other Spanish defensive midfielder.
Phil Foden – 6
Foden struggled to have the same influence as in recent games. Booked. Replaced by Tijjani Reijnders.
Bernardo Silva – 6
Was shrugged off the ball in the build-up to Real’s opener. But an otherwise decent display from City’s captain. Brought his usual energy and control.
Rayan Cherki – 7
A first start in the Champions League for Cherki. Had some flashy moments. A quiet first half but caused more problems in the second. Replaced by Savinho.
Erling Haaland – 7
Was quiet but won City’s penalty and dispatched it emphatically for goal number 55 in this competition. Replaced by Omar Marmoush.
Jeremy Doku – 8
Probably City’s liveliest attacking player. You can just see the confidence of the Belgian at the moment. No goals or assists and his end product lacked at times, but a real menace throughout.
