Manchester City 1-0 Newcastle United: Cityzens' Player Ratings as Guardiola's men make it two wins out of two | Premier League 2023-24

Manchester City controlled the game from start to finish as they beat Newcastle United 1-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, August 19.

Pep Guardiola's side came into the Premier League fixture fresh off a UEFA Super Cup victory over Sevilla. The Spaniard made two changes from the team that faced the Spanish side, with Cole Palmer making way for Julian Alvarez while Ruben Dias replaced Nathan Ake.

Newcastle, on the other hand, were arguably the best side in the first round of fixtures in the Premier League. The Magpies dispatched Aston Villa 5-1 in a dominating performance. Manager Eddie Howe named an unchanged lineup from that game.

Early on, Manchester City controlled the game as Newcastle had trouble establishing themselves. With nine attempts in the first period, it was the hosts that were on the attack. Alvarez eventually opened the scoring when his sweet strike from the right found its way to the back of the net past Nick Pope.

In the second half, Newcastle enjoyed a strong spell of possession and looked threatening but were unable to really put Ederson to work. City were effective in closing the game out as they made it 17 straight wins at home, a perfect record in the calendar year of 2023.

Manchester City joined Brighton and Hove Albion as the only teams to win both their opening fixtures so far. Here are the player ratings from the game.

Manchester City Player Ratings

Ederson - 6.5/10

The Brazilian had a largely quiet affair and was not troubled much on the way to keeping a clean sheet.

Kyle Walker - 6.5/10

Walker defended the right-flank well, shutting down Anthony Gordon. He also looked to get ahead when City were on the ball.

Ruben Dias - 6.5/10

A comfortable outing in central defense for the Portugal international.

Manuel Akanji - 7/10

Akanji occupied John Stones' role, playing as part of the midfield when Manchester City were on the ball. He was comfortable in distribution and defended well.

Josko Gvardiol - 6.5/10

A solid first Premier League start for the Croatian, defending well to keep the clean sheet.

Mateo Kovacic - 7/10

Kovacic was a strong presence in midfield for Manchester City. He looked to carry the ball past Newcastle defenders and feed it to the attackers.

Rodri - 7/10

Apart from an error that almost gifted Newcastle the equaliser in the second half, the Spaniard was at his best.

Phil Foden - 8/10

A man-of-the-match performance from the youngster. With the injury to Kevin de Bruyne, Foden stepped up and played quite well in a role similar to what the Belgian would have played. He was a major part of City's attack, keen on feeding the ball to Erling Haaland. Apart from the assist, he finished the game with one shot on target, seven key passes and three dribbles completed.

Julian Alvarez - 7.5/10

The Argentinian marked his return to the lineup with a goal, a great strike in the first half. He was also good in link-up play.

Jack Grealish - 7/10

Grealish had a solid outing on the left wing. In the second half, he took up a deeper position and defended well against Miguel Almiron.

Erling Haaland - 6.5/10

A quiet day for the Norwegian talisman, unable to get a proper chance.