Last season’s treble-winners kickstarted their 2023/24 campaign with a defeat in the Community Shield.
The game at Wembley Stadium, which Arsenal edged in a penalty shootout, wasn’t a complete disaster for Manchester City however as there were plenty of positives to take from some players’ performances on the day.
Here’s who 90min picked as City’s best and worst players on the day:
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Cole Palmer – 8/10
Subbed on in the 64th minute, youngster Cole Palmer ensured he made the most of his minutes at Wembley Stadium on Sunday by putting in an electric performances on the right flank.
Palmer injected some much needed drive and quality into the Man City attack and even bagged a stunning goal in the 77th minute.
He’s a potential breakout star this season.
Honourable mention
Phil Foden – 8/10
Introduced on the opposite flank, Foden made a case to Pep Guardiola that he should be starting ahead of Jack Grealish in the Premier League next week.
The England international made things happen when he was subbed on.
Erling Haaland – 5/10
Amazingly, Sunday’s game was Haaland’s sixth consecutive game without scoring for Man City. And, to be honest, he didn’t even come remotely close to ending his dry spell during the game.
Haaland was outfought and outthought by William Saliba, and left the pitch with an xG of 0 when he was subbed off on the hour mark.
Not a great outing.
Dishonourable mention
Jack Grealish – 5/10
A real 2021/22 season Jack Grealish performance. The England star failed to do much of anything for City in what was a very tepid showing.