Man City 1-0 Brentford: Player ratings as Haaland strike sinks spirited Bees

Manchester City managed a narrow 1-0 win over Brentford on Tuesday evening as they moved to second in the Premier League table.

After a goalless first half, it was Erling Haaland's well-taken effort that proved the difference between the two sides, with the reigning champions doing just enough to topple a spirited Brentford side.

The result moves the Cityzens within a point of Liverpool at the top of the table as they continue their hunt for a fourth successive Premier League title.

How the game unfolded

After a slip-up in the title race against Chelsea last Saturday, Man City were well aware that a victory was all that would suffice from Brentford's visit to the Etihad. The pattern of the match was quickly established as well, with Pep Guardiola's side camped inside the visitors' half from the first kick.

Despite Man City's territorial dominance, it was Brentford who had the best chance of the opening 20 minutes. Yoane Wissa brought the ball down beautifully in the centre circle before releasing Frank Onyeka with an accurate through ball, but the midfielder produced a tame effort that was easily held by Ederson.

Ivan Toney came close with a free kick shortly afterwards, while Julian Alvarez was guilty of spurning a number of half-chances at the other end as he struggled to find his shooting boots.

Man City's best moments of a goalless opening 45 minutes came towards the end of the first half, with Bernardo Silva heading wide from close range and Manuel Akanji seeing his long-range effort tipped over the crossbar by Mark Flekken.

Ben Mee then produced a wonderful goal-line clearance from Oscar Bobb's effort to deny the champions the lead heading into the break.

Brentford continued to show their resilience in the early stages of the second period as they managed to stifle Man City in the final third, while also showing plenty of endeavour in transition.

However, despite all the hard work from the visitors, it was a moment of bad luck that ultimately cost Thomas Frank's side with 20 minutes to play. Haaland collected Alvarez's pass just inside the Brentford half with only Kristoffer Ajer in between him and the goal, but the centre-back slipped at the crucial moment and the Norwegian goal machine raced through to slot calmly beyond Flekken. Haaland has now scored against every Premier League side he has faced.

Man City thought they may have grabbed a second to seal all three points with ten minutes to play, Haaland heading home from close ranger following Walker's cross. However, the right-back was a yard offside as Brentford survived an almighty scare.

Phil Foden came close to doubling Man City's advantage in stoppage time but Flekken did well to deny the 23-year-old, with the hosts comfortably holding on for a crucial three points.

Man City player ratings (4-1-4-1)

GK: Ederson - 6/10 - Made the odd save when called upon but was largely a spectator.

RB: Kyle Walker - 7/10 - Solid defensively and made some positive forward runs to stretch the Brentford backline.

CB: John Stones - 7/10 - Booked for scything down Wissa late in the first half and was certainly tested throughout by the physical Toney. Settled into proceedings.

CB: Ruben Dias - 7/10 - Performed admirably against some tricky Brentford forwards and was typically combative when required.

LB: Manuel Akanji - 7/10 - Regularly stepped forward with the ball in central areas and even had a pop at goal that was well saved by Flekken.

DM: Rodri - 7/10 - A characteristic Rodri display, the Spaniard breaking up Brentford counter-attacks and providing offensive support when required.

RM: Phil Foden - 8/10 - Played across the pitch and drifted into central areas throughout the match. Always looked a threat in and around the penalty area.

CM: Bernardo Silva - 7/10 - Not the most influential performance from the Portuguese, although he was neat and tidy on the ball as expected.

CM: Julian Alvarez - 6/10 - Snatched at a handful of first-half opportunities, with some surprising wastefulness in the final third from the World Cup winner. Still ended the game with an assist to his name.

LM: Oscar Bobb - 6/10 - Almost gave Man City a first-half lead but saw his well-taken effort cleared off the line. The youngster offered some bright moments, albeit lacking a little cutting edge.

ST: Erling Haaland - 8/10 - After a frustrating outing against Chelsea, Haaland got back on the scoresheet against the Bees. A fantastic finish from the Norwegian, who ended the game with the winning goal.

Substitutes

SUB: Jeremy Doku (61' for Bobb) - 6/10

SUB: Mateo Kovacic (89' for Alvarez) - N/A

Subs not used: Stefan Ortega (GK), Scott Carson (GK), Nathan Ake, Rico Lewis, Sergio Gomez, Matheus Nunes, Kevin De Bruyne.

Manager

Pep Guardiola - 6/10 - Not the most convincing performance from his side, who were made to work for all three points. Regardless, it was a hard-fought victory that keeps them within striking distance of the Premier League summit.

Brentford player ratings (5-3-2)

GK: Mark Flekken - 7/10 - Had to be sharp to keep Man City at bay and was exactly that in the first half, making several good stops and commanding his box well. Helpless for Haaland's strike.

RWB: Mads Roerslev - 6/10 - A strong defensive display from Roerslev, who largely restricted Bobb and then Doku.

CB: Mathias Jorgensen - 7/10 - A solid display given these were his first minutes for over a month.

CB: Kristoffer Ajer - 5/10 - An unfortunate slip, but a costly one for Haaland's strike. The Norwegian's bad luck cost his side what would have been a hard-earned point.

CB: Ben Mee - 7/10 - One sublime goal-line clearance kept Brentford in the game going into the break. A dogged performance from Mee up against Haaland.

LWB: Sergio Reguilon - 5/10 - An erratic display from the Spaniard, who never looked entirely comfortable with the ball at his feet.

CM: Frank Onyeka - 7/10 - Came close with two promising first-half opportunities but couldn't find his ruthless touch. The midfielder caused the hosts problems with his darting runs beyond Toney and Wissa.

CM: Christian Norgaard - 6/10 - Composed in possession on the few occasions Brentford did play their way through the press.

CM: Vitaly Janelt - 6/10 - Helped keep things tight in central areas and worked hard defensively.

ST: Ivan Toney - 7/10 - An absolute handful for Man City's centre-backs with his athleticism and physicality, exhibiting his fantastic hold-up play throughout at the Etihad.

ST: Yoane Wissa - 6/10 - Used his pace to make plenty of runs in behind the Man City backline and worked well with Toney up top. The only thing that held him back was his first touch.

Substitutes

SUB: Neal Maupay (68' for Wissa) - 6/10

SUB: Mathias Jensen (78' for Janelt) - 6/10

SUB: Keane Lewis-Potter (78' for Reguilon) - 6/10

SUB: Saman Ghoddos (89' for Onyeka) - N/A

SUB: Mikkel Damsgaard (89' for Roerslev) - N/A

Subs not used: Thomas Strakosha (GK), Nathan Collins, Yegor Yarmolyuk, Shandon Baptiste.

Manager

Thomas Frank - 7/10 - A spirited display from his team and he can be proud of their efforts. Came very close to a mightily impressive point.

Player of the match - Phil Foden (Man City)

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