The English side enjoyed plenty of the ball in the opening stages of the noisy affair – and Giovanni’s Di Lorenzo red card, after a mistimed challenge on Erling Haaland, allowed them to make the most of their numerical advantage.
Antonio Conte, however, would’ve been the happier of the two managers heading into the half-time break given that the score remained 0-0. Napoli defended well, limiting City to zero clear-cut chances in the first 45.
Then, in the 56th minute, it was none other than Haaland who found the breakthrough. Latching onto Phil Foden’s lofted ball, the Norwegian’s delicate header caught Vanja Milinkovic-Savic off guard.
It wasn’t long before Jeremy Doku doubled the lead of the home side. Popping up on the right-hand side, the fleet-footed winger danced around the Napoli defence before slotting it through the legs of Milinkovic-Savic.
Match Highlights
Manchester City Player Ratings
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6/10
Remained alert when relied upon, which was seldom the case, Donnarumma pulled off some crucial saves.
Abdukodir Khusanov – 7/10
Despite his age, Khusanov’s performance was littered with composure. That said, he remained aggressive in his approach, proving that the two can mutually exist.
Ruben Dias – 6/10
Far less comfortable on the ball compared to his fellow defenders.
Josko Gvardiol – 7/10
Incredibly accurate with his passing, Gvardiol didn’t put a foot wrong. The Croat’s shot just before the break was whiskers away from rustling the net, too.
Nico O’Reilly – 7/10
The youngster dealt with the attacking threat of Politano well while also linking up well with Doku on the left flank.
Rodri – 6/10
Still not fully fit, he often dropped in as an extra centre-half but, as usual, kept things ticking well in the middle. Subbed 15 minutes into the second half.
Bernardo Silva – 6/10
You could see that he wanted to pick up those pockets of space but Lobotka was often first to the ball.
Tijjani Reijnders – 6/10
Had a shot early in the second half blocked and his overall performance was far from convincing.
Phil Foden – 8.5/10 (Man of the Match)
Fantastic in his passing, Foden was heavily involved in City’s brightest moments and a lot of credit for their opener needs to go to the Englishman, whose ball was perfect.
Jeremy Doku – 7/10
Doku enjoyed a quiet first half and plenty of attempted crosses into the box were blocked. The Belgian did have moments where he would effortlessly shimmy around a Napoli defender. Much brigher in the second 45.
Erling Haaland – 6/10
The Norway striker’s teasing run behind Di Lorenzo drew the foul that saw the Napoli man sent off. Limited thanks to Beukema’s performance. His header opened the scoring.
Sub – Nico Gonzalez (60′) – /10
City’s first substitute of the encounter, the Spaniard kept things simple in the middle of the park.
Sub – Savinho (69′) – /10
Adding a layer of zest to City’s attack, Savinho prodded over and over again. He looked lively!
Sub – Nathan Ake (80′) – 3/10
Added extra experience at the back.
Sub – Oscar Bobb (80′) – 3/10
Good to see Bobb get some minutes in the legs.
Sub – Rico Lewis (80′) – 3/10
Very little involvement.
Napoli Player Ratings
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic – 8/10
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 2/10
Napoli’s captain performed well until his red card, caused by a clumsy challenge on Haaland.
Sam Beukema – 8/10
Beukema’s header within 20 minutes was Napoli’s first real effort on goal and was a physical presence to contest in-the-air balls with Haaland. A really good performance.
Alessandro Buongiorno – 6.5/10
Had his eyes on Foden’s subtle runs but was often caught out of position by Haaland’s movement. Overall, the Italian can hold his head high for a resolute display.
Leonardo Spinazzola – 5/10
Played on both flanks and worked hard to contain City’s threat from out wide. His performance deteriorated as the game rumbled on and City upped the pressure.
Stanislav Lobotka – 6/10
Energetic in the middle, Lobotka struggled to keep up with the darting movement of Foden. Often isolated in the middle as he tried to track City runners.
Scott McTominay – 5/10
Back in Manchester, McTominay was rarely involved given Napoli’s lack of possession. Typically a box-crasher, the Scot was very limited to one touch in the City box.
Kevin De Bruyne – 4/10
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa – 5/10
Sat relatively deep to provide steel in front of Napoli’s back four. Clearly not at the races, though, and was rightfully taken off in the 71st minute.
Matteo Politano – 6/10
Often restricted to helping Di Lorenzo, and then Spinazzola when he switched sides, contain the pace and power of Doku. Despite being Napoli’s busiest forward, nothing really materialised to much.
Rasmus Hojlund – 5/10
Led from the front with plenty of energy, but his effort was, largely, to no avail. His back-to-goal work was poor. Made a few runs behind the City back line, but the Dane was seldom found.
Sub – Mathias Olivera (26′) – 5/10
On for De Bruyne. Defended relatively well and was accurate in his long passing.
Sub – Juan Jesus (55′) – 4/10
Introduced to add some extra cover at the back, Jesus was often pulled out of position.
Sub – Eljif Elmas (71′) – 4/10
Seldom involved upon his introduction with 19 minutes left of regulation time.
Sub – David Neres (71′) – 5/10
The forward’s near-post runs were rarely noticed by his teammates. Provided the Italians with a spark.
Sub – Billy Gilmour (71′) – 4/10
Composed in the middle.
