Man City player ratings vs Liverpool FC as Kevin De Bruyne good but Joao Cancelo poor

Ederson: Couldn't do anything about the goal and saved well from Darwin Nunez but his passing was sometimes lacking in accuracy. 6

Kyle Walker: A few strong bursts down his flank added to his usual composed performance at the back. 7

Ruben Dias: Some good blocks in the box, although the most important thing he did ahead of the new season was avoid injury. 6

Nathan Ake: Looked more unfortunate than culpable to glance Trent Alexander-Arnold's effort onto the post and in, and proved a handful with his physicality in both boxes. 6

Joao Cancelo: A few nice touches but looked off the pace and struggled against Mohamed Salah, albeit at least letting him through rather than diving in in the box. Booked for dissent to top it off. 4

Rodri: Given extra support with Bernardo Silva alongside him and did what he was supposed to while seeing less of the ball than he normally would. 6

Kevin De Bruyne: Pushed forward just behind Erling Haaland, he came close to scoring early on after pouncing on a loose ball and City's sharpest player set up the goal. 7

Bernardo Silva: Tireless defensively and also one of City's more creative players when he carried the ball up the pitch. 7

Riyad Mahrez: Guilty of being offside a few too many times and fudged a decent chance to equalise early in the second half. 5

Jack Grealish: Never really troubled the Liverpool defence but has kept the confidence he picked up on the summer tour to look comfortable dribbling. 6

Erling Haaland: Solid. Didn't get much service and is not quite on the same page as De Bruyne but still forced a decent save from Adrian and showed the potential that is evidently huge. 5

Julian Alvarez (for Mahrez, 58): A debut goal off the bench earned him a huge hug from Haaland. 7

Phil