Manchester City v Newcastle player ratings: Foden 8, Haaland 7; Lascelles 7, Wilson 3

City secure 2-0 victory at the Etihad and keep pressure on Arsenal at top of Premier League

• 

  MAN CITY RATINGS: Ederson 6: Had a poor start with his passing but soon looked more himself. Rushed out at Isak’s feet and gathered Trippier’s late free-kick well. Reuters

• 

  Kyle Walker 7: Was saved by Rodri after playing a shocking pass but looked much more comfortable after that, playing a great ball out to De Bruyne in the build-up to Haaland’s chance. Did well to cut out Murphy’s late crosses. AFP

• 

  Manuel Akanji 8: Often looked in complete control, bullying Callum Wilson at times and showing great anticipation to cut out Guimaraes’ pass into the box. Reuters

• 

  Ruben Dias 8: Solid throughout, made on important tackle on the edge of Newcastle’s box to ensure they didn’t break away on counter-attacking. Blocked Isak shot and made a brilliant tackle to halt Saint-Maximin, while also looking confident on the ball. Getty

• 

  Nathan Ake 7: Put in a solid defensive display that was epitomised by a brilliant block to deny Longstaff. He was booked for a poor challenge on same player and struggled at times after Eddie Howe’s substitutions. Getty

• 

  Rodri 7: Did well to reach Walker’s wayward pass ahead of Wilson and showed his usual level of control in midfield for large periods, switching the ball out to Foden in build-up to the opener. Reuters

• 

  Ilkay Gundogan 6: Sent a header agonisingly over the crossbar in the opening minute but continued to make good forays forward and link play well throughout. Did well to deny Gordon’s shot in the second half. Reuters

• 

  Kevin De Bruyne 6: Played a couple of uncharacteristically wasteful passes early on but got back to usual self to control game for period and deliver a great cross for Haaland. Not as influential in second half. Reuters

• 

  Phil Foden 8: Clearly full full of confidence, providing some lovely touches and producing on a superb run to open up Newcastle before applying the finish for the opener via a deflection. Saw late shot well saved by Pope. Getty

• 

  Jack Grealish 7: Set tone with great early cross for Gundogan and was always willing to get on the ball despite being on the end of some cynical fouls. Did well in build-up to Silva’s goal. Reuters

• 

  Erling Haaland 7: Linked play well at times and also pressed Newcastle’s defenders but headed one opportunity wide and skied another. Provided a lovely lay-off for Silva’s goal. Booked for a coming together with Burn before helping to run the clock down. Reuters

• 

  SUBS: Bernardo Silva (On for De Bruyne 65’) 7: Scored crucial goal that gave City breathing space mere minutes after coming off the bench, then continued to look busy in midfield. PA

• 

  NEWCASTLE RATINGS: Nick Pope 7: Had no chance of stopping either of City’s goals and kept things simple with his feet. Made a good save to deny Foden late on. Reuters

• 

  Kieran Trippier 5: Struggled against Grealish at times, but made a good run and pass for Wilson’s wasted chance. Had some sloppy moments on the ball and was punished for City’s second. Saw late free-kick saved by Ederson. AFP

• 

  Jamaal Lascelles 7: Did an admirable job up against Haaland, particularly in first half, making a great tackle to stop the striker running through then holding the Norwegian off as he threatened to break into the box. Booked in the final minutes as frustrations boiled over. Getty

• 

  Sven Botman 7: Deflected Foden’s shot past Foden, but did well to block De Bruyne’s shot and did a good job of dealing with Haaland in some awkward situations. AFP

• 

  Dan Burn 5: Had torrid time up against Foden in the first half and was left for dead by England man ahead of City's opener. Had much better second half but got booked for scuffling with Haaland after the big defender had accused Grealish of over-reacting to a challenge. AP

• 

  Sean Longstaff 6: Played some good passes, including one in the build-up to Wilson’s chance, but took far too long to take an opportunity of his own and allowed Ake to recover and make block tackle. Getty

• 

  Bruno Guimaraes 6: Played some lovely passes and made some good defensive interventions but didn’t do enough to stop Foden scoring the opener. Booked for handling the ball after slipping. AFP

• 

  Joelinton 4: Looked off the pace, whether that was taking too long on the ball or getting booked for a late challenge on Dias, which means he will be suspended for the next two matches. Completely missed the ball from Willock’s cross wasting glorious chance to score in second half. AP

• 

  Miguel Almiron 5: Showed energy and helped defensively at times but was never really able to get the better of Ake and never looked like adding to his 10 goals this season. Getty

• 

  Callum Wilson 3: Was made to look average by by Akanji and made a complete mess of his one real opportunity. Striker has looked shadow of his former self since returning from World Cup with England. AP

• 

  Anthony Gordon 5: Put in decent shift and had some nice moments on the ball but embarrassingly made a mess of his only attempt at goal in first half. Took too long on the ball when he had the ball in the box. AP

• 

  SUBS: Allan Saint-Maximin (On for Gordon 62’) 6: Showed quick feet and had bright moments but couldn’t quite make the breakthrough needed to get team back into game. Getty

• 

  Alexander Isak (On for Wilson 62’) 6: Had a couple of opportunities after his introduction and caused City a few problems. AFP

• 

  Joe Willock (On for Longstaff 63’) 6: Delivered a brilliant cross with his first involvement and put in a determined display. AP

• 

  Jacob Murphy (On for Almiron 77’): N/A. AFP Matt Targett (On for Burn 87’) N/A.

Manchester City closed the gap on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League to two points with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Saturday.

Phil Foden opened the scoring after a superb solo ended with his shot being deflected into the net via Newcastle Newcastle defender Sven Botman.

The Magpies responded well and caused plenty of problems until City substitute Bernardo Silva slotted home to put the game out of their reach midway through the second half.

The win means City move to within two points of the Gunners, who play Bournemouth later on Saturday, while Newcastle remain fifth, four points behind Tottenham, who face Wolves.

Eddie Howe's side have now managed only three goals in eight league games this yearand are without a win in five of those.

"It was a really, really difficult game," said City manager Pep Guarediola. "We knew it, with the quality they have it is a threat and they will be a threat for the next five years because they have many good things. They control the ball well in transition, set-pieces.

"But yes a really good game, we defended really well. The solidarity between the two sides was amazing. We had our moments, they had their moments, but in the end the big actions for the two goals made the difference.

"Of course we had to defend, in these types of games you have to suffer. We didn't lose our composure. That is the most important thing. we kept our momentum."

You can see the player ratings from Saturday's game at the Etihad Stadium in the gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.