rewrite this title Man City 2-3 Real Madrid player ratings as Savio struggles, Stones stars

Manchester City conceded two late goals as Real Madrid came from behind to win 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie, courtesy of match-winner Jude Bellingham.

Man City player ratings

Ederson – 5

Was on course for a fine evening of work before gifting Real Madrid and former Blue Brahim Diaz their second by uncharacteristically conceding possession late on.

Josko Gvardiol – 7

Once again the defender was at the heart of all of City’s impressive work going forward and even got an assist to his name for Haaland’s opening goal.

Nathan Ake – 6.5

Faced a difficult time up against Vinicius and didn’t always have things his own way, but Ake stood firm for the majority of his time on the pitch before he was replaced by Mateo Kovacic.

Ruben Dias – 7

City have missed their commanding defender and even as injuries fell around him, Dias often remained solid despite shipping what were frustrating goals.

Manuel Akanji – 7

Summing up their injury issues, Akanji became the second City player forced off with injury at the break to add to Pep Guardiola’s woes. Prior to that, however, the Swiss – to his credit – did well up against an energetic Vinicius Junior.

John Stones – 8

In the defensive midfield role as Guardiola’s latest attempt to replace Rodri, Stones’ performance puts him in good stead to once again feature in what could provide a crucial solution for Man City at the heart of their midfield.

Savio – 5

The Brazilian endured a frustratingly quiet game for his standards, struggling to get on the ball and make the desired impact as Real Madrid pushed him back with offensive outlets of their own.

Kevin de Bruyne – 6.5

For all his hard work when he got himself on the ball, De Bruyne struggled to do exactly that one too many times. In the end, his lack of influence proved costly on a big night for his side.

Bernardo Silva – 6

A midfielder who’s struggled to maintain his standards at times this season, Silva once again performed below what he is capable of just when Guardiola needs his most experienced men to step up.

Jack Grealish – 7

Forced off after just 30 minutes, Grealish didn’t need beyond the half hour mark to make his mark on Real Madrid having played Gvardiol in behind in the build-up to Erling Haaland’s opener.

Erling Haaland – 9

In truth, there wasn’t a lot more that Haaland could do. Finding the opening effort in routine fashion, the forward then stepped up to take responsibility from the penalty spot and score what many believed would be the winner.

Substitutes: Phil Foden – 7, Rico Lewis – 6.5, Mateo Kovavic – 6.5

Real Madrid player ratings

Thibaut Courtois – 7

Although it was a rarity, the goalkeeper did well – as ever – to keep out the majority of Manchester City danger. Up against Haaland, the Belgian could do nothing to stand in the way of both goals.

Federico Valverde – 7

You wouldn’t know that Federico Valverde was out of position based on his performance up against the Premier League champions – albeit the hurt champions – with the midfielder enjoying an impressive display.

Aurelien Tchouameni – 7

Like Valverde, Tchouameni performed well out-of-position and highlighted how Madrid have been doing well to solve problems of their own in recent weeks.

Raul Asencio – 6.5

A young defender alongside an out-of-position midfielder, not many will have any complaints about Asencio’s performance at The Etihad as he largely kept Manchester City at arm’s length.

Ferland Mendy – 6

Whilst he didn’t struggle defensively, Mendy was guilty of spurning a chance that should have been converted in the opening period which Carlo Ancelotti would have wanted to fall to almost anyone else.

Rodrygo – 7

Mbappe and Bellingham will get the credit, but Rodrygo stood out in his own right throughout a frantic affair.

Eduardo Camavinga – 7

As the old guard in Real Madrid’s midfield bow out, Camavinga has stepped up on the biggest stage to make his mark in their place.

Dani Ceballos – 6.5

Back on English soil, Ceballos loses marks for conceding the penalty on what was otherwise an well-rounded evening from the former Arsenal man.

Jude Bellingham – 7.5

The match winner to turn a quiet game into an electric evening, Bellingham was always likely to have his say at The Etihad and that he did.

Vinicius Junior – 7

In front of fans who were quick to remind him about his recent failures, Vinicius was among the stars of the show as he laid down a marker in front of an on-watching Rodri.

Kylian Mbappe – 7

Although wasteful at times, Mbappe still made his mark with a well-timed equaliser in somewhat scrappy fashion.

Substitutes: Luka Modric – 6, Brahim Diaz – 8, Fran Garcia – 7