MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - BRENTFORD 1-0 MANCHESTER CITY
- William Russell

- May 29, 2023
- 4 min read

Brentford were the deserved winners against a heavily rotated Manchester City side, as a late goal by Ethan Pinnock meant the Bees did the double over the Premier League Champions.
In a game of few chances, City had plenty of possession, but were unable to find a real clear cut chance until late on in the game, with a half chance for Cole Palmer from the edge of the box and a header from Julian Alvarez being the closest the Blues came to finding the back of the net in the first half.
Brentford looked a threat from set pieces, with former City academy player Ben Mee testing Ederson following a long throw into the box. A long ball over the top also saw Yoane Wissa slam the far post, but the offside flag came to City's rescue.
In the second half, City failed to carve out any chances at all until they were already 1-0 down. Brentford's goal came unsurprisingly from a set piece, as a freekick routine led to centre back Ethan Pinnock stabbing home into an empty net from inside the penalty area for his third Premier League goal of the season.
21 year old Cole Palmer, making his third consecutive appearance in the Premier League, had a few excellent chances in quick succession at the end of the match, but was somehow unable to get a shot on target after 3 blocked attempts.
Brentford played extremely well, once again playing to City's weaknesses and causing them numerous problems. However, Thomas Frank's side were unfortunate to miss out on European football, as both Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur won their matches, meaning the Bees had to satisfy themselves with 9th place in the Premier League.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Everton's victory over Bournemouth meant they survived relegation on the final day, meaning Leicester City, Leeds United and Southampton will be playing Championship football next season.
Luton's penalty shootout victory over Coventry in the Championship play off final means they'll be joining Burnley and Sheffield United in gaining promotion to the Premier League next season.
This result will be no concern to Guardiola, as - depending on the fitness of Ruben Dias, Jack Grealish, Kevin de Bruyne and Manuel Akanji - only Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake are likely to start the FA Cup final against Manchester United next week.
A few members of City's side looked slightly off the pace, which is fair enough, considering the vast majority of that starting 11 haven't been regular starters throughout this season.
This has no impact on City's treble aspirations; as long as the injured players, Dias in particular, are fit for the two cup finals, then the Blues will still be in pole position to assert themselves over Manchester United and Inter Milan and win it all.
Here are the player ratings for the final Premier League game of the season: Ederson - 6.5/10 - Quiet game for the Brazilian shot stopper. Couldn't have done anything about Brentford's goal.
Walker - 6.5/10 - A generally solid game for Walker on his 33rd birthday. However, there was one incident where he allowed his frustration to get the better of him and slammed into Rico Henry, something he'll have to avoid in the two upcoming cup finals.
Laporte - 6.5/10 - In what could well have been his final Manchester City match, Laporte looked his solid and composed self. If Dias and Akanji are deemed unfit for one or both of the finals, then the Spaniard could yet still have a huge role to play at the back end of the season.
Ake - 7/10 - Very, very good to have the crucial Dutchman back before the end of the season. The 27 year old looked like he'd never been away, looking his usual calm and solid self at centre back.
Gomez - 6/10 - Didn't contribute a lot going forward, however, he did deal well with Bryan Mbeumo, the dangerous right winger for Brentford.
Phillips - 7/10 - A much better performance today from Phillips. The 27 year old looked much more solid and capable in duels, showing once again that minutes in this City team when learning the system certainly improves a player.
Lewis - 6/10 - Generally a good performance from the 18 year old, once again showing he is a versatile and capable. However, he still has plenty to learn, as it was his rash, naïve tackle that conceded the free kick leading directly to Brentford's goal.
Palmer - 6/10 - A quiet game for Palmer, not showing off the talents that saw him impress against Chelsea and Brighton. In my opinion, Palmer is wasted in midfield, as he looks much more impressive playing on the wing.
Mahrez - 6/10 - Anonymous again on the right wing, unfortunately. The Algerian has seemingly played his way out of the 2 finals, which is a shame, considering the 32 year old has come up clutch many times before in the Champions League for City, and that he scored a hattrick in the FA Cup semi final to send City to Wembley.
Alvarez - 6/10 - Not the Argentine's best match, as was physically dominated by Brentford's tall centre backs. He will however, play a huge role in the next two matches, as City chase the treble.
Foden - 6.5/10 - Foden had plenty of touches in the pockets of space, but he couldn't work his magic to create a chance for City.
Substitutes:
Charles - 6.5/10 - Making his Premier League debut, the City EDS captain didn't look out of his depth on the biggest stage.






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