Newcastle vs Man City Player Ratings

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

The Ivory Coast international struck twice in the final 20 minutes of a pulsating contest to secure three precious points and send City into next Sunday's final-day clash with QPR in pole position to claim their first title in 44 years.

Samir Nasri was brought off for Nigel De Jong, allowing Toure the license to roam and it eventually paid off as Aguero laid off a one-two pass for Toure to curl a sweet shot beyond Tim Krul.

Newcastle then went in search of an equaliser and were eventually made to pay as City broke on the counter with Clichy finding Toure near the six yard box. Toure made no mistake and sealed the win for his side.

Newcastle

Tim Krul - 4.5

The usually unflappable stopper was evidently nervous in the match with a couple of panicky moments against City, rushing out needlessly and giving everyone a scare and his distribution was suspect as well. However, there was little he could do to save Toure's classy finish.

James Perch - 6

Perch's versatility proved useful once more in the absence of Simpson at right back. After a rash early challenge on David Silva, Perch settled into the game but City's talented attack was too classy for him.

Fabricio Coloccini - 7

Coloccini was always chasing down his compatriots Aguero and Tevez, allowing them little space and time with a calm and collected performance. 

Mike Williamson - 6.5

The tall, lanky defender controlled the air well until Dzeko came on in the final minutes. Despite his lack of speed, Williamson used his positioning well to give the City strikers a hard time.

Davide Santon - 7.5

For two weeks in row, Santon cleared the ball off the line for his side. Santon justified why he was once hailed as one of the world's best defensive talents, defending steadily while also charging up dangerously on the attack.

Hatem Ben Arfa - 6.5

Ben Arfa was creative down the flank to beat Clichy but his delivery was suspect and his two strikers hardly got the supply of crosses they need from the right flank.

Cheik Tiote - 6

Tiote was all action, never shying away from a tackle when the ball was there to be won. However, he was ultimately overwhelmed in the midfield when Mancini threw in De Jong to allow Toure the license to roam forward.

Yohan Cabaye - 7.5

The Frenchman was one of Newcastle's best players, always running to where the action is and looking to bring the ball forward for his side. His energetic performance and sharp eye for passes made sure that Barry had to work hard throughout.

Jonas Gutierrez - 5.5

Gutierrez had a large slice of the action down the left but failed find his strikers despite being given yards of space by Zabaleta, literally giving the ball back to City with almost all of his crosses.

Demba Ba - 5

A disappointing outing for the goal-dry striker. His first touch was often as clumsy as a center back's and he hardly got a chance on goal.

Papiss Cisse - 5.5

A poor outing by Cisse's mercurial standards but it was to be expected as the whole footballing world took note of him after last week's heroics. Half-chances were missed when he was expected to conjure a moment of magic to score, but City's defenders were too right on him.

Substitutes

Shane Ferguson (On 74') - 6

Ferguson looked promising on the overlap, showing speed to bother Zabaleta.

Shola Ameobi (On 74') - 5

Ameobi provided an extra option up front for his side but it proved futile as City held strong in defence.

Ryan Taylor (On 82') - N/A

Manchester City

Joe Hart - 6.5

With a mean defence screening the area in front of him, Hart was confident and hardly bothered in defence. 

Pablo Zabaleta - 5

The Argentine looked dangerous on the overlap but he was poor when defending, frequently giving Gutierrez too much space and couldn't handle Santon at all.

Vincent Kompany - 7.5

Another reassuring performance from Kompany as he managed to stick close enough to the two Senegalese strikers to deny them possession.

Joleon Lescott - 7.5

Much like Kompany, Lescott was bossing around the two Newcastle strikers and winning almost every aerial battler.

Gael Clichy - 7

Given the undesired task of marking Ben Arfa, Clichy had to be on his toes throughout the game and managed to put the tricky Frenchman off sufficiently to have aminimal impact on the match.

Gareth Barry - 6.5

Barry was unfortunate to have a goal cleared off the line by Santon, but City still had him to thank for a tidy defensive effort to cut out Cabaye's play.

Yaya Toure - 8.5

The game looked like it was heading for a stalemate when Toure stepped up with a moment of magic to beat Krul with a sweet curler from outside the box. It's clear that the Ivorian is useful when deployed higher up the pitch, which showed when De Jong took Toure's place deeper in the midfield to allow him the freedom to torture Newcastle's defence.

David Silva (Off 87') - 7.5

City's most creative player until Toure stepped up, Silva was always supplying pinpoint passes to his team mates but he was denied by a stubborn Newcastle back line.

Carlos Tevez (Off 70') - 6

Tevez was hard at work harrying the ball high up the Newcastle half but he didn't contribute much otherwise. Rightfully brought off for Dzeko, who could provide an aerial threat.

Samir Nasri (Off 62') - 4.5

Nasri was wasteful, attempting shots when he would have been better off finding a team mate and trying ambitious crosses. Not one of his better games despite a recent surge in form.

Sergio Aguero - 7.5

Aguero proved that he is as good outside the penalty box, going deeper in trying to get the ball into the box and showing good control to hold off the Newcastle defence and create chances.

Substitutes

Nigel De Jong (On 62') - 6

De Jong was sent off to blunt the burgeoning Newcastle attack and it worked, with the Dutchman disrupting play via his physical challenges. More importantly, his presence gave City an extra man in the middle of the pitch and allowed Toure to go up and wreak havoc.

Edin Dzeko (On 70') - 6.5

He didn't have much time to make an impact but Dzeko showed his worth up front as a physical player to add another dimension to City's attack.

Micah Richards (On 86') - N/A