Manchester City were held to a 0-0 draw against Inter Milan tonight in a rematch of the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final.
Despite entering the match in what seemed like unstoppable form for Pep Guardiola’s side, Haaland was unable to make an impact at the Etihad Stadium. The Nerazzurri’s defensive performance was extremely impressive, and their new-look midfield trio caused plenty of problems for City throughout the 90 minutes.
Here are our player ratings from the goalless affair:
Manchester City
Ederson – 6
City’s ball-playing goalkeeper made three saves tonight, none of which posed too much of a threat at his goal. Ederson managed an assist against Brentford at the weekend, but couldn’t pull the strings from inside his penalty box this evening.
Manuel Akanji – 6.5
Akanji won 100% of his aerial duels tonight against a strong Inter attack and has deservedly become a crucial piece of City’s defensive jigsaw. He is an underrated asset who doesn’t receive the flowers he deserves.
Rúben Dias – 6
Manchester City’s leader at the back has had a steady start to the 2024/25 season despite his own goal against West Ham, and continued that consistency tonight. His passing range is an impressive skill in his toolbox, and his physical presence makes him a nuisance for any opposition striker.
Embed from Getty ImagesJoško Gvardiol – 7
Joško Gvardiol’s ability going forward is even more impressive than his defensive work. The Croatian brute is both a creative force and a goalscoring option for Pep Guardiola, and his creative side tonight almost left City walking away with all three points.
Rico Lewis – 6
The 19-year-old talent is slowly becoming a crucial cog in this Manchester City machine, starting every match so far this season. Tonight, he struggled to get a hold in a midfield jam-packed with world-class player after world-class player.
Rodri – 6.5
In his first start of the 2024/25 season, serious Ballon d’Or contender and generational midfielder Rodri returned to consistent ways. He wasn’t at his best, but his ability to recycle possession time and time again makes the EURO2024 winner a useful body on the pitch under any circumstances.
Savinho – 6.5
City’s new summer signing, already dubbed the club’s replacement for Riyadh Mahrez by fans and rivals alike, started the game extremely positively, driving at the Inter defence with purpose and flair. As the first half developed, however, his influence faded, leading to Phil Foden replacing him at half-time.
Bernardo Silva – 6
Bernardo Silva pushed and probed for Manchester City, but to no avail. His technical ability in tight spaces creates chances out of nothing for Pep’s side, but he ultimately made very little impact tonight.
Kevin De Bruyne – 6.5
Replaced by Jérémy Doku through what looks like a knock, the City captain had lots of positive moments during his 45 minutes on the pitch, including the making of two key passes in the direction of his prolific striker.
Jack Grealish – 7
Fresh off the back of an incredibly successful return to the England squad, Grealish put in a real shift down the left-hand side for Guardiola tonight. The 29-year-old won six ground duels and looked positive on the ball in the opposite direction.
Erling Haaland – 4
99 goals in City blue. On for his 100th in a huge match in front of his home fans. Nine goals in four Premier League matches so far this season. And yet, an entirely anonymous performance from the biggest man on the pitch. Haaland managed just 14 touches across the full 90 minutes, completing a measly seven passes.
Embed from Getty ImagesSubstitutes:
Phil Foden – 7
Foden brought a creative edge to City’s performance in the second half, nailing three key passes and an almost perfect pass accuracy of 95%.
İlkay Gündoğan – 5
The City cult hero came agonisingly close to a poetic winning goal in front of his fans with not one close-range, free header – but two, both as eye-watering as each other. What a moment that very nearly was.
Jérémy Doku – N/A
Inter Milan
Yann Sommer – 7
Neither goalkeeper was given much to do tonight, until Sommer made some top stops to deny Gvardiol and Foden from opening the scoring as the clock ticked on. The former Borussia Mönchengladbach number one kept his focus and ensured his side an impressive clean sheet at the Etihad Stadium.
Yann Bisseck – 6
Perhaps the most anonymous player of the travelling side’s defence, Bisseck was replaced by Benjamin Pavard at the three-quarter mark. The 23-year-old was outshone on the night but still maintained a relatively comfortable performance for a player with such little experience at the top level.
Embed from Getty ImagesFrancesco Acerbi – 8
All of the talk tonight will be about the anonymity of a red-hot Erling Haaland, and we should be giving credit where credit’s due: Francesco Acerbi played a ginormous part in keeping the world’s best striker quiet for 90 minutes. He has such a commanding and intimidating physical presence and allowed the Norwegian no time to think on the ball.
Alessandro Bastoni – 7
Alongside his centre-back partner, the EURO2024 star’s resolute defending kept an incredibly exciting and talented Manchester City attack at bay, something most teams simply cannot manage to do. Serie A’s 2023/24 Defender of the Year stepped up once again tonight for the boys in black and blue.
Matteo Darmian – 5.5
The former Manchester United man, returning to the home of his old city rivals, would surely have loved to score. So why, oh why, did he decide to play a backheel pass when faced with a goalscoring opportunity? Inzahgi’s reaction on the sidelines told the whole story: he was furious, almost in disbelief – the whole stadium was. It was the Italian international’s biggest involvement of the match, and unfortunately is what his performance will be remembered for.
Nicolò Barella – 8
The captain on the night led by example for the Nerazzurri, shielding the visitors’ penalty box in dominating fashion and recycling possession all night long, making it look so simple along the way. Everyone knows Barella is one of the world’s best midfielders, and if you still thought otherwise, perhaps you should take a step back and reevaluate.
Embed from Getty ImagesHakan Çalhanoğlu – 9
Everything good that Inter Milan produced this evening came from one of these next three lads in the middle of the park, and Hakan Çalhanoğlu was the pick of the bunch. The match flowed through him, with his passing range and technical prowess a real spark for Inter on the counter. The 2023/24 Serie A Midfielder of the Year demonstrated once again tonight why his inclusion in the Ballon d’Or shortlist was by no means a fluke.
Piotr Zieliński – 7.5
From the moment Simeone Inzaghi replaced Piotr Zieliński with Henrikh Mhikitaryan, the Black and Blues lost their dominance in the middle third. Tonight was the Polish international’s first start for his new team since his transfer from fellow Italian outfit Napoli, and he put on a show. His ability to resist a high City press with such ease was a sight to behold.
Carlos Augusto – 7
It was a solid defensive display from Augusto this evening, as the left-wing back worked hard to nullify the threat from Savinho and Foden. With two clearances, two interceptions, and three duels out of three won, it was a quietly astute performance.
Marcus Thuram – 5
With six goal contributions in four Serie A matches so far this season, you would’ve hoped Thuram could impact the game the way he has been, but it was a slow and disappointing performance that left you asking one question: why didn’t Inzaghi start Lautaro Martínez?
Mehdi Taremi – 6
Taremi put in more of a shift against Manchester City than his strike partner, working hard to try and make something happen, particularly on the counter-attack. Nothing came of it, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
Substitutes:
Embed from Getty ImagesHenrikh Mkhitaryan – 5
Another ex-Manchester United man with a golden opportunity to win the game against his old rivals, Mkhitaryan would’ve been disappointed not to put his big chance to bed.
Lautaro Martinez – 5
The Argentinian striker is one of the most prolific goalscorers in world football, but he couldn’t generate any real, clear-cut opportunities for himself during his time on the pitch this evening.
Benjamin Pavard – 5
With just seven touches on the pitch, the 2018 World Cup winner’s involvements were few and far between.
Denzel Dumfries – N/A
Davide Frattesi – N/A