Jeremie Bela 7 – Changed the complexion of the game in the final 20 minutes. Rattled the City bar following an excellent breakaway run. Getty
MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Zack Steffen 6 – Made a couple of handy saves to deny Birmingham on the counter. His second half was much shakier, however. Getty
Joao Cancelo 6 – Decent in spells but didn’t really manage to impact the game in an attacking capacity. Was substituted on the hour mark. Getty
Ruben Dias 7 – Was fortunate to avoid punishment for a wild first half tackle, but otherwise, the powerful defender remained solid. Reuters
Kyle Walker 8 – Impressive in the slightly unfamiliar Centre-back position. Moved across to Full back late in the game, with his overlapping runs causing havoc in the Birmingham half. PA
Benjamin Mendy 7 – Spent most of the game in the opposition’s half, adding good width to City’s play. Getty
Rodri 8– Controlled the midfield expertly. Broke down counterattacks exceptionally well, and hardly put a foot wrong on the ball. Getty
Riyad Mahrez 8 – Was heavily involved in two of City’s early goals. Had one of his own chalked off in the second half for an offside infringement. Getty
Kevin De Bruyne 9 – Enjoyed a sensational first 45 minutes, cutting Birmingham apart with several defence-splitting passes. Assisted Silva’s second goal before being rested. Reuters
Bernardo Silva 9 – Handed City a vital lead with a spectacular half-volley. Grabbed a second just minutes later, to cap off a superb afternoon’s work. Getty
Phil Foden 8 – Inventive as always in the City midfield. His strike from range to give his side a 3-0 lead was a worthy reward for his efforts. Getty
Gabriel Jesus 7 – The Brazilian is clearly low on confidence – as was evidenced by his composure in front of goal. Should really have scored a brace. Reuters
SUBS: Felix Nmecha 6 – Struggled to get into the game after coming on for the second half. Reuters
John Stones 7 – Comfortable in possession with very little to do in the way of defending. Getty
Taylor Harwood-Bellis 6 – Was largely untroubled at the back until the last 20 minutes. Jeremie Bela’s introduction certainly highlighted one or two weaknesses in the youngster's game. AFP
Liam Delap N/A – Came on too late to make a notable impact, with his only shot at goal being a header that was ballooned over the bar. Reuters
BIRMINGHAM CITY RATINGS: Andres Prieto 5 – Spilled a handful of shots that really should have been held on to. Very was little he could do about Man City’s three goals. Reuters
Maxime Colin 5 – Endured a torrid afternoon, tormented by the home side’s persistent runs in behind the Birmingham back-line. Getty
Jake Clarke-Salter 6 – Solid, if unspectacular. Help keep the score line respectable. AP
Mikel San Jose 5 – Decent in the air, but ultimately struggled to cope with the fast-paced nature of the game at times. AP
George Friend 7 – One of Birmingham’s best performers, adding good energy on the counterattack to solid defending in his own penalty area. Reuters
Maikel Kieftenbeld 6 – The captain did his best to stem the tide of City attacks, managing to make some fine interceptions throughout the match. Getty
Ivan Sunjic 5 – Was chasing shadows for much of the game. One to forget. Reuters
Jon Toral 5 – Looked a tad off the pace after making a number of rash tackles early on. AFP
Ivan Sanchez 6 – Lacked composure on the break but was one of the tidier Birmingham players in possession. Reuters
Jonathan Leko 7 – Very lively going forward, beating his man with regularity in the first half. Eye-catching pace and skill on a day where his side was well beaten. Reuters
Scott Hogan 5 – Cut an isolated figure for much of the game, with virtually no opportunities to properly test Steffen in the City goal. AFP
SUBS: Marc Roberts 7 – Made his mark in the second period with a few crunching tackles. Very positionally disciplined.
AFP
Adam Clayton 6 – Worked hard but saw very little of the ball. Reuters
Lukas Jutkiewicz 6 – Almost sniffed out a goal from a spilled Steffen save, but just couldn’t stay onside. Reuters
Jeremie Bela 7 – Changed the complexion of the game in the final 20 minutes. Rattled the City bar following an excellent breakaway run. Getty
MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Zack Steffen 6 – Made a couple of handy saves to deny Birmingham on the counter. His second half was much shakier, however. Getty
Joao Cancelo 6 – Decent in spells but didn’t really manage to impact the game in an attacking capacity. Was substituted on the hour mark. Getty
Ruben Dias 7 – Was fortunate to avoid punishment for a wild first half tackle, but otherwise, the powerful defender remained solid. Reuters
Kyle Walker 8 – Impressive in the slightly unfamiliar Centre-back position. Moved across to Full back late in the game, with his overlapping runs causing havoc in the Birmingham half. PA
Benjamin Mendy 7 – Spent most of the game in the opposition’s half, adding good width to City’s play. Getty
Rodri 8– Controlled the midfield expertly. Broke down counterattacks exceptionally well, and hardly put a foot wrong on the ball. Getty
Riyad Mahrez 8 – Was heavily involved in two of City’s early goals. Had one of his own chalked off in the second half for an offside infringement. Getty
Kevin De Bruyne 9 – Enjoyed a sensational first 45 minutes, cutting Birmingham apart with several defence-splitting passes. Assisted Silva’s second goal before being rested. Reuters
Bernardo Silva 9 – Handed City a vital lead with a spectacular half-volley. Grabbed a second just minutes later, to cap off a superb afternoon’s work. Getty
Phil Foden 8 – Inventive as always in the City midfield. His strike from range to give his side a 3-0 lead was a worthy reward for his efforts. Getty
Gabriel Jesus 7 – The Brazilian is clearly low on confidence – as was evidenced by his composure in front of goal. Should really have scored a brace. Reuters
SUBS: Felix Nmecha 6 – Struggled to get into the game after coming on for the second half. Reuters
John Stones 7 – Comfortable in possession with very little to do in the way of defending. Getty
Taylor Harwood-Bellis 6 – Was largely untroubled at the back until the last 20 minutes. Jeremie Bela’s introduction certainly highlighted one or two weaknesses in the youngster's game. AFP
Liam Delap N/A – Came on too late to make a notable impact, with his only shot at goal being a header that was ballooned over the bar. Reuters
BIRMINGHAM CITY RATINGS: Andres Prieto 5 – Spilled a handful of shots that really should have been held on to. Very was little he could do about Man City’s three goals. Reuters
Maxime Colin 5 – Endured a torrid afternoon, tormented by the home side’s persistent runs in behind the Birmingham back-line. Getty
Jake Clarke-Salter 6 – Solid, if unspectacular. Help keep the score line respectable. AP
Mikel San Jose 5 – Decent in the air, but ultimately struggled to cope with the fast-paced nature of the game at times. AP
George Friend 7 – One of Birmingham’s best performers, adding good energy on the counterattack to solid defending in his own penalty area. Reuters
Maikel Kieftenbeld 6 – The captain did his best to stem the tide of City attacks, managing to make some fine interceptions throughout the match. Getty
Ivan Sunjic 5 – Was chasing shadows for much of the game. One to forget. Reuters
Jon Toral 5 – Looked a tad off the pace after making a number of rash tackles early on. AFP
Ivan Sanchez 6 – Lacked composure on the break but was one of the tidier Birmingham players in possession. Reuters
Jonathan Leko 7 – Very lively going forward, beating his man with regularity in the first half. Eye-catching pace and skill on a day where his side was well beaten. Reuters
Scott Hogan 5 – Cut an isolated figure for much of the game, with virtually no opportunities to properly test Steffen in the City goal. AFP
SUBS: Marc Roberts 7 – Made his mark in the second period with a few crunching tackles. Very positionally disciplined.
AFP
Adam Clayton 6 – Worked hard but saw very little of the ball. Reuters
Lukas Jutkiewicz 6 – Almost sniffed out a goal from a spilled Steffen save, but just couldn’t stay onside. Reuters
Jeremie Bela 7 – Changed the complexion of the game in the final 20 minutes. Rattled the City bar following an excellent breakaway run. Getty
