Man City Player Ratings vs. Salford: Lifeless Cityzens Narrowly Avoid Embarrassment

Man City were far from their best but avoided a major upset.

Man City squeezed past Salford. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images.

Manchester City punched their ticket to the fifth round of the FA Cup despite underwhelming in their tame 2–0 victory over neighbours Salford City at the Etihad Stadium.

Having witnessed Man City beat Salford 8–0 last season and trounce Exeter City 10–1 in this year’s third round, the expectant home supporters were only treated to one goal during a lifeless first half. Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alfie Dorrington turned Rayan Aït-Nouri’s teasing cross into his own net after just six minutes.

Salford created the better chances during the first 45 minutes and also delivered City some scares after the restart, the fourth tier visitors just missing the required quality in the final third to punish their sub-par hosts.

Substitute Marc Guéhi scored his first City goal with 10 minutes remaining to ease any nerves and secure progression, but Salford certainly made life awkward for the Premier League giants.

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One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Erling Haaland was missed at the Etihad. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

“Erling [Haaland] is the best striker in the world,” Pep Guardiola enthused prior to City’s critical win over Liverpool last weekend. Since those words of praise, Haaland has scored twice and assisted, but his Catalan coach was forced to make do without the Nordic sharpshooter for Saturday’s cup tie following a minor injury.

Haaland’s absence was certainly notable during a tepid first half in Manchester. An early own goal appeared to set the stage for another hammering but the anticipated flurry of fireworks were not forthcoming. While they saw Omar Marmoush’s wonderful strike wrongly disallowed for offside and a promising penalty appeal waved away, there can be no denying that the eight-time Premier League champions underwhelmed.

An expected goals tally of just 0.13 and no shots on target tells the story of City’s sleepiness in the first half. Without a focal point leading the line—Marmoush, Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden all interchanging in central areas—City struggled to carve open their League Two visitors. In fact, it was Salford, who had a higher xG total by the break, that created the better first-half opportunities.

Little changed after the restart and the fact that Guardiola felt the need to turn to Antoine Semenyo, Guéhi and Nico O’Reilly shortly after the hour mark underscored the City manager’s frustrations. Whether it was complacency or fatigue, the hosts continued to struggle going forward and offer Salford encouragement at the back.

Guéhi’s late effort ensured there was no surprises in the closing stages for City, but Guardiola will be disappointed with his side’s uninspired performance.

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Man City Player Ratings vs. Salford (4-2-3-1)

Guéhi scored to seal the win. | Oli SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: James Trafford—8.1: Surprisingly busy at the Etihad as he produced several important saves to thwart the visitors.

RB: Max Alleyne—6.6: Looked understandably disappointed after being withdrawn midway through the first half due to injury.

CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—7.5: The youngster was not entirely comfortable at points but didn’t do much wrong in the centre of a much-changed backline.

CB: John Stones—7.7: Perhaps unfortunate not to be awarded a first-half penalty after being dragged down at a corner and was largely dominant in defence.

LB: Rayan Aït-Nouri—7.3: Created the opening goal with an incisive burst down the left flank and did at least provide some necessary width in advanced positions.

CM: Rico Lewis—7.6: Stepped into right back after Alleyne’s substitution but still regularly occupied central midfield areas. Kept things ticking.

CM: Nico González—7.3: Supplied a gazillion passes (102 in reality) without ever seemingly distributing the ball further than 10 yards.

CM: Tijjani Reijnders—7.2: Reijnders has been productive in the cup competitions this term but the Dutchman was more or less anonymous against Salford.

RW: Phil Foden—6.6: Still struggling to capture his autumn form. Received the ball regularly in dangerous areas without having the finesse to unpick Salford’s deep defence.

ST: Omar Marmoush—6.9: Scored an absolute stunner that was incorrectly ruled out for offside but couldn’t match the threat typically posed by Haaland.

LW: Rayan Cherki—8.2: The Frenchman did his best to find space in congested areas and spark a bit of life into City’s disappointing attacking play. Forced the second goal and served up some tidy passes.

SUB: Ryan McAidoo (22’ for Alleyne)—6.9: Lively when receiving the ball out on the right wing but lacked end product.

SUB: Antoine Semenyo (64’ for Foden)—6.6: Struck the woodwork late in the day after injecting some energy into City’s play.

SUB: Marc Guéhi (64’ for Stones)—7.5: Opened his City account with the easiest of finishes.

SUB: Nico O’Reilly (64’ for Aït-Nouri)—6.9: Rarely tested after his arrival.

SUB: Rodri (75’ for González)—6.4: A brief and uneventful cameo.

Subs not used: Gianluigi Donarumma (GK), Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Floyd Samba.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Guardiola (right) couldn’t get the best out of Foden. | Oli SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images

• Foden’s struggles continue after a quiet afternoon in which he was unceremoniously hooked with 25 minutes remaining. None of his three shots were on target, he created just one chance for his teammates and didn’t complete a single dribble. City needed more from the Englishman, who is likely to return to the bench in coming games.
• Unlike his fellow forward Foden, Cherki provided some energy to City in the final third. He created the second goal, his effort parried to Guéhi six yards out, and nearly grabbed a proper assist late on as Semenyo struck the post. The summer recruit continues to be a source of positivity, even on the gloomier days.
• John Stones made an encouraging return to City’s defence in what was his first appearance since early December. While much sterner tests lie in wait for the England international, he will be a useful asset for Guardiola as fixtures continue to come thick and fast.

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The Numbers That Explain Man City’s Awkward Win

City were far from their best. | Oli SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images

• Despite racking up 19 shots and 2.42 xG, City were concerningly poor against a side they fired eight unanswered goals past last term. Only four efforts on target highlights their difficulties opening up the visitors.
• 80% possession is impressive, even against League Two opposition, but City did little with their territorial dominance during a drab affair.
• Salford completed just 86 passes to City’s 625, yet they still created some great chances at the Etihad. They will be disappointed to have wasted several openings.

Statistic	Man City	Salford
Possession	80%	20%
Expected Goals (xG)	2.42	0.36
Total Shots	19	6
Shots on Target	4	2
Big Chances	4	0
Passing Accuracy	91%	55%
Fouls Committed	8	6
Corners	7

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