Erling Haaland does not look completely right and yet he still keeps scoring. The Norwegian missed a hatful of chances against Young Boys that you would normally expect him to bury, but he left the match with two more goals in a pretty routine 3-1 win for Manchester City in Bern.
A scrappy goal from Manuel Akanji put City ahead early in the second half after a bitty first period on the astroturf pitch, but Meschak Elia lobbed Ederson to draw Young Boys level.
City got their noses back in front with a fortuitous penalty which Haaland converted, ending a five-game drought in the Champions League. The Norwegian then made sure of the victory with a fine, top-corner finish to take his tally for the season to 11 goals, perfect preparation for Sunday’s Manchester derby.
GOAL rates Man City’s players from the Wankdorf Stadium…
![Ruben Dias Manuel Akanji Man City 2023-24](https://assets.goal.com/v3/assets/bltcc7a7ffd2fbf71f5/bltba335132b66311f2/65397dce70691c84d863f493/GOAL_-_Blank_WEB_-_Facebook_-_2023-10-25T214210.768.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
Goalkeeper & Defence
Ederson (6/10):
Was kept busier than he might have imagined. Questionable positioning for Elias goal left him open to being lobbed.
Manuel Akanji (6/10):
Sharp reactions to bundle in the first goal but let Young Boys have too many opportunities.
Ruben Dias (6/10):
Exposed more than usual when playing in a back three.
Nathan Ake (7/10):
Alert to the danger and made a fine tackle to deny Sandro Lauper a free shot at goal. City’s best defender on the night.
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Midfield
Rico Lewis (5/10):
A big drop off compared to his masterclass in Leipzig. Played Elias onside and not involved enough in the build-up play.
Rodri (6/10):
City’s driving force through the middle and a big goal threat. Close to scoring a header and won the decisive penalty.
Matheus Nunes (6/10):
Had two decent chances to score. Got forward a lot but lost the ball on occasion in important areas.
Mateo Kovacic (6/10):
Kept things ticking over in midfield with slick, short passing.
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Attack
Jeremy Doku (7/10):
Very lively in the first half and should have scored the opener. Faded after half-time.
Erling Haaland (7/10):
Still didn’t look completely himself and missed a slew of chances. But, being Haaland, still scored twice and his second was a fine strike.
Jack Grealish (8/10):
Man of the match and looked like he had a point to prove. Certainly made it and may have played his way into the starting line-up for the weekend.
Subs & Manager
Julian Alvarez (7/10):
Scored a lovely goal but it was chalked off by VAR for handball by Grealish. Showed great understanding with Haaland.
Bernardo Silva (6/10):
An improvement on Nunes and helped City finish the game well.
Sergio Gomez (N/A):
Came on in the 90th minute.
Kalvin Phillips (N/A):
Came on in the 90th minute.
Pep Guardiola (7/10):
Made seven changes with the derby in mind and still saw his side control most of the match and earn a comfortable win.