Player ratings: Manchester City, champions of nearly everything
Manchester City are the champions of Europe after their triumph in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League final, a hard-fought victory over Inter Milan on Saturday.
[ RECAP: Manchester City complete treble, win first Champions League ]
Who stood out (for better and for worse) as the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners added the final piece of the puzzle to their historic treble?
GK – Ederson: 7 – Six saves, including a critical late stop just ahead of the goal line as Romelu Lukaku looked certain to equalize and send the final to extra-time.
CB – Manuel Akanji: 5.5 – The game nearly swung away from Manchester City when Akanji fell asleep in the 58th minute and Lautaro Martinez was permitted to race into the penalty area unobstructed. Fortunately for the Swiss international, Ederson soared off his line and made the shooting angle far too tight.
CB – Ruben Dias: 6.5
CB – Nathan Ake: 6.5
DM – John Stones: 7.5 – Alongside Bernardo Silva (more on him in a moment), Stones played the roll of Pep Guardiola’s defensive Swiss Army knife masterfully
DM – Rodri: 8 – Aside from generally being the best midfield anchor in the world, Rodri packs a mean right foot when the ball falls to him at the edge of the penalty area. When he struck the ball in the 68th minute, there was little doubt he would put it on target.
RW – Bernardo Silva: 7.5 – Few attackers in the world, if any, press as effectively and destructively as Bernardo, who oftentimes renders the entire left side of the opposition attack useless. He did it again on Saturday, with bombarding extraordinaire Federico Dimarco held to just one key pass in the waning moments of the game (he averaged 1.8 per game in Serie A this season and 1.5 in the Champions League as a key