Player Ratings: Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City (FA Community Shield)

Manchester City fell to a defeat in the Community Shield, despite a drastically improved second-half performance.

City were slow to come out of the gates, conceding to a long-range effort from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Pep Guardiola’s men looked much better after the break, particularly when new signing Julián Álvarez was introduced alongside Phil Foden.

Álvarez made the breakthrough when he slotted home after a goalmouth scramble, with a lengthy VAR check eventually resulting in the goal being given.

But a goalscoring debut from the young Argentine wasn’t enough.

Ruben Dias accidentally blocked a Darwin Nuñez header with his hand, and Mohamed Salah scored the resulting penalty to give Liverpool the win.

Darwin Nuñez himself then wrapped it up late on in added time. Here’s how we rated the Manchester City players!

Ederson - 6

Not to blame for the defeat, but I’m sure some people will find a way to make it his fault.

Did well to get a hand to a ball meant for Darwin Nuñez, though it was then flagged offside, then stopped a 1v1 with the same player. The last goal came from a few feet out, so it’s harsh to pin it on the ‘keeper.

Kyle Walker - 6

Rusty at the start with his passing.

Had a few good moments later on, despite being one of the many City players that missed chances to play in Haaland.

Ruben Dias - 6

It’s harsh that he cost City the game when the header was from so close, but he’s got to know better than to have his hand out like that. Probably the most solid City defender up to that point.

Nathan Aké - 6

Not at his best, whether it was a misplaced pass or a rash challenge that almost gave Nuñez a goal, but made up for it later with a great challenge to stop a counter.

Joao Cancelo - 5

Very sloppy, to tell the truth. This is a player who can go from the obscene to the terrible, and unfortunately today the latter was true more often.

Rodri - 6

Among the best of a bad bunch. Against a team like Liverpool, who counter so often, it was very clear how little support he had in the turnovers.

Bernardo Silva - 6

Among the many City players who were guilty of giving away possession far too much, which is extremely uncharacteristic of Bernardo, though his defensive contribution is worth crediting. The goal that ended the game from Darwin Nuñez was down to a dreadful touch from him, unfortunately. 

Kevin De Bruyne - 6

A long way from his best, which surprised me given his form in preseason. Passes he usually makes in his sleep were going astray. That said, he played a great ball in the buildup to the equaliser. 

Riyad Mahrez - 5

Didn’t click for him and, though he was busier than most in the first half, his shots did very little to worry Adrian.

Erling Haaland - 6

Early signs are that the team will have to adapt to Haaland, not the other way around. Forward runs are his biggest strength and he’s nullified if his teammates don’t play him in, but other than a bad late miss he didn’t do much wrong.

Jack Grealish - 5

Another player who looked good in pre-season, Jack didn’t carry that form into this game. I’m not convinced he’ll reach his best as long as he’s paired with Cancelo, with the two seeming to get in each other’s way almost constantly.

Substitutes:

Julián Álvarez - 7 (Man of the Match)

There’s something very exciting about this kid. He was very lively again playing off the wing and showed that poacher’s instinct to put the rebound away. Mahrez and Grealish can count him among their competition for the wing positions, without a doubt.

Phil Foden - 6

Involved in the equalising goal and generally part of the clear improvement City displayed towards the end of the game with some excellent footwork.

Ilkay Gundogan - 6

Last season’s final-day hero couldn’t quite rescue this one, but it’s frustrating that he missed pre-season, since a fully sharp Ilkay would have been a huge asset here.