Ferran Torres 8, Gabriel Jesus 7; Aaron Ramsdale 8, Rhian Brewster 5: Manchester City v Sheffield United ratings

City open up four-point lead at the top with a 1-0 win

MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson – 6. Fielded a tame Brewster shot from the edge of the box. And that was about all he had to do to earn his wages. Reuters

Kyle Walker – 6. His pace was important a number of times to cover his fellow defenders against Burke. Rarely ventured forward to join the attack, though. AP

Aymeric Laporte – 6. Did not always look comfortable with Burke rumbling towards him, or in the air against him, either. AP

Ruben Dias – 7. Snuffed out an early break by Burke, and looked his usual classy self. Could have done better with a header at a corner just after the break, though. Getty

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7. Went looking for work in central midfield, given he was largely underemployed in defence. Guilty of a foul throw, as Bernardo Silva was. Saw a shot from distance saved in the second half. EPA

Fernandinho – 7. Pulled the strings during City’s early dominance, progressing play with incisive passing, and was characteristically destructive whenever the Blades did make it forward. EPA

Ilkay Gundogan – 7. City failed to make the most of a number of threatening crosses from dead balls by the Germany midfielder. Always keen to get on the ball. AP

Bernardo Silva – 6. At the heart of plenty of City’s best attacking moments, albeit without his usual dynamism. Being pinged for a foul throw summed up the fact he was just slightly off key. EPA

Ferran Torres – 8. Great perseverance set up the ninth-minute goal for Jesus, and he was City’s most potent attacking threat for much of the remainder. Getty

Phil Foden – 6. Looked worryingly groggy after a clash of heads with Lundstram. Made some gliding runs, without creating many clear openings. AFP

Gabriel Jesus – 7. Applied a calm finish after Torres teed him up for the goal. May have doubled his tally if not for a gymnastic save by Ramsdale in injury time. PA

SUBSTITUTES: Rodrigo – NA. Brought on for Torres late on as Pep Guardiola tried to close out the game. Which was odd to see from the league leaders against the side in last place. PA

SHEFFIELD UNITED RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale – 8. Fortune favoured him when he bravely threw himself at Jesus’ feet following a right-wing cross. Made a showy save to turn away a shot from Zinchenko. Saved the ensuing corner, too. EPA

George Baldock – 7. Tried to spark his side after they went with a purposeful run into City’s box. Shackled Foden well, although he was booked for fouling him late on. AP

Chris Basham – 7. City might have overwhelmingly dominated possession, but Basham rarely looked overrun in defence. He was sacrificed in a late double substitution as Chris Wilder chased points. Getty

John Egan – 7. Well placed to help Bogle thwart Torres following a clever pass from Walker in the second half, and he kept close tabs on Jesus throughout. Yellow carded for dragging back Fernandinho. AFP

Ethan Ampadu – 5. The on-loan defender messed up twice for the opener, with a limp header followed by an even limper attempted tackle on Torres. Getty

John Lundstram – 6. Let possession slip to end one of the brightest moments for the Blades in a tough first half, but leant plenty of heft to the defensive effort. AP

John Fleck – 7. His sloppy giveaway at the start of the second phase presented a chance to City, which they were unable to take. Got through a lot of work spoiling City’s creative players. His blistering late drive whistled inches wide. AP

Oliver Norwood – 6. Got lucky when his header back to goal found Bernardo Silva, only for his flick on to be save by Ramsdale. Yellow carded for a foul on Foden. AFP

Jayden Bogle – 6. Stuck to his task against Bernardo Silva, but Torres did get the better of him a number of times, including for the opener. Miscued a shooting chance in the second half. AFP

Rhian Brewster – 5. Had Sheffield United’s one shot on target, but it was powder puff stuff. Other than that, he was scarcely a presence up front for the Blades. Getty

Oliver Burke – 7. The strapping forward’s bullocking runs were a feature of the Blades resistance. Cut a tired figured as he tried his best to harry the City backline towards the end. AP

SUBSTITUTES: David McGoldrick – 6. In the 30 minutes he got at the end, his most notable contributions were clearing from his own box. AFP

Billy Sharp – NA. Did his best to impress himself on the encounter, in the short time he was given at the end. PA

Ollie McBurnie – NA. Suffered a blow to the head almost as soon as he had made it onto the field as a substitute late on. PA

Gabriel Jesus scored the goal that gave Manchester City victory over Sheffield United at the Etihad Stadium.

Jesus finished from close range after Ferran Torres had made his way through some lacklustre defending from Ethan Ampadu and Jayden Bogle.

Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.