Man City player ratings vs Sheffield United as Rodri and Phil Foden good

Manchester City ended their 2023 on a high as they beat Sheffield United 2-0 in the Premier League.

Playing their first home game since they were crowned world champions, Pep Guardiola's side quickly took control of the game against the newly-promoted side despite being without key players again. John Stones had added to the injury list along with Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku, although Kevin De Bruyne was fit enough to return to the bench.

Rodri scored his fifth goal of the season to open the scoring for the home team inside half an hour and break the Sheffield United resistance early. The defence picked up their first clean sheet in nine league games and Julian Alvarez added a second goal after an hour to make the game safe. Here are the player ratings.

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Ederson: Had very little to do but stayed strong during the one minor scare in the first half with the score at 1-0. 7

Walker: A rare substitution giving him the last half hour off but earned a big hug from Guardiola for a solid showing. 7

Akanji: Less eventful than his performance at Everton, but some lovely crossfield balls helping to build City's attack. 7

Ake: Challenging Ederson for the coolest on the pitch, never looked flustered in his duties as last man clearing up any potential danger. 7

Gvardiol: Some nice work with Foden pushing up on the left, although some not-so-nice defensive errors giving the ball away. 6

Rodri: Back close to his best to see out the year, bossing the midfield and always offering an outlet for the ball wherever it popped up. 8

Kovacic: A mostly polished performance, let down by him giving the ball away in attack and then getting