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Your support makes all the difference. Read more Manchester City and Aston Villa fought out a tremendous Premier League clash in the rain on Wednesday night which finished 2-0 to the hosts, sending them top.
Bernardo Silva had a chance just seconds after kick-off, but his close-range finish was saved. Ross Barkley then had a chance to set Villa through three on two, only to pass straight to a defender.
The first half was an open encounter, with Phil Foden and Jack Grealish the protagonists for either side whenever they were found in space and embarked on a dribble - and although City definitely had more of the ball after the break, it was still end-to-end to an extent.
READ MORE: Premier League fixtures and table - all matches by date and kick-off time
Bertrand Traore almost scored a great solo goal, Joao Cancelo hit the bar and Ilkay Gundogan twice missed from fewer than five yards out, but both goalkeepers also made good saves - until Bernardo Silva smashed one in from range after Tyrone Mings lost the ball and Gundogan netted a late penalty.
Here are the player ratings from the game at the Etihad Stadium.
Man City
Ederson - 7. Good handling in wet conditions on more than one occasion.
Kyle Walker - 6. Injured early on and replaced.
Ruben Dias - 8. Solid work against the counter-attacks, economical as ever with the ball. Brilliant clearance inside his six-yard box.
John Stones - 6. Covered well a few times although was caught upfield on the counters, too.
Joao Cancelo - 8. So impressive on either side. Almost scored a great goal, nearly set up a few too.
Rodri - 7. Is never caught out of position or in possession. Keeps the team flowing and finds the spaces between the lines.
Ilkay Gundogan - 7. Made himself dangerous with his runs from deep but should have scored at least once before his spot-kick.
Bernardo Silva - 8. Should have scored early on. Spent a lot of time in a centre-forward area and linked play extremely well, then hammered in the opener at last.
Kevin De Bruyne - 8. Played just over an hour and gave ample further evidence of his world-class passing ability.
Raheem Sterling - 6. Started brightly but didn’t beat the full-back too often and faded somewhat.
Phil Foden - 7. Created so many openings and always looked a danger, but the end product was lacking at times.
Aston Villa
Emi Martinez - 7. Brilliant save from a yard out just two minutes in. His kicking out was excellent and a feature of the counter-attacks.
Matty Cash - 6. Was given a very tough night but kept going and was an outlet when possible.
Ezri Konsa - 8. Made a host of interceptions and blocks, gradually getting deeper into the penalty box.
Tyrone Mings - 6. Similarly committed and well-positioned to make innumerable blocks and clearances - but made the decisive error to cost a goal.
Matt Targett - 8. Good covering and stopped Sterling’s dribbles more than once. Some fantastic slide tackles across the wet pitch.
Douglas Luiz - 6. Very hard-working but a couple of cynical fouls and missed passes too. One fine strike tested Ederson.
John McGinn - 8. Composed on the ball and hard-running as his side came under increasing pressure.
Ross Barkley - 5. Spurned an unreal chance to tee up Grealish. Lost possession cheaply. Took a couple of weak shots.
Bertrand Traore - 7. Moments of individual genius mixed with a very frustrating one-footed approach inside the box. Tired after the break.
Jack Grealish - 7. On the ball was always looking to create and dribble, linking well with Watkins.
Oli Watkins - 7. A non-stop runner and a creator of chances rather than getting many himself.
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