MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - LUTON TOWN 1-2 MANCHESTER CITY

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Manchester City were back to winning ways in the Premier League, as a quickfire double from Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish helped to come from behind and win against a stubborn Luton Town side.

After an extremely disappointing performance from the Blues in their midweek defeat to high flying Aston Villa, City desperately needed a response to avoid going an unprecedented five Premier League matches without a win for the first time since the 2009/10 season under Mark Hughes.

Guardiola responded to the lack of control against Villa by packing his midfield with all of his most technical midfielders - namely Rodri, Mateo Kovacic and Phil Foden, with Grealish and Bernardo and Grealish sitting more narrowly than usual and Julian Alvarez dropping deep from centre forward in Erling Haaland's absence.

With the front four of Grealish, Foden, Alvarez and Bernardo all frequently switching positions, it meant City were able to play fluid, aesthetically pleasing football whilst maintaining full control of the game.

Foden, Bernardo, Alvarez, Kovacic, Rodri and Josko Gvardiol all had opportunities, but a combination of solid defending and good goalkeeping from Thomas Kaminski meant the Blues couldn't find a breakthrough.

And, it what has seemed to be very typical of City in the last few weeks, it was the Hatters who broke through just before the break, as Elijah Adebayo rose above Ruben Dias to head the ball in the back of the net, in what was Luton's only real opportunity of the entire game.

Nevertheless, this didn't affect City, and they were back at it in the second half, this time in a slightly more rigid system, with Grealish and Bernardo wider and Foden and Alvarez working centrally in the pockets. They continued to create, with the biggest chance coming from Dias's ferocious strike from inside the area that was tipped onto the bar by Kaminski, but City were getting closer.

City drew level thanks to a magnificent left footed finish from Bernardo, who whipped the ball low into the bottom left corner after pouncing on a loose ball following Rodri's positive drive forward.

And just a couple of minutes later, a sweeping counter attack saw Alvarez's low ball across goal turned in by Grealish at the backpost for his second goal in as many matches. Initially, Grealish's celebrations were subdued due to fears that Alvarez may have handballed in the buildup, but it turns out the ball struck the Argentinian in the face instead, so City could celebrate the goal their performance deserved.

Rob Edwards' side grew into the game after Grealish's goal, but other than a half chance for Ross Barkely - after carrying the ball through midfield and unleashing a powerful shot from range that went just wide of the post - they were unable to create any real opportunities.

Luton had a raft of set pieces, but City defended them remarkably, and were able to grind the result out in the closing minutes. They even had a few opportunities of their own, with the most notable one being a long range effort from Alvarez that whistled just over the crossbar.

It was exactly what was needed for City, who 's recent performances have largely not matched the results they've had at full time. And, at a ground where Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool struggled, it was refreshing to see such a positive performance from the Blues, with very few negative things to speak about.

As Guardiola said after the game, City actually performed better in the first half than the second, but they found a way to edge the win over the line like treble winners do, and it was fitting the goals came from two players who are often criticised for a lack of goal output.

With Guardiola's post match interview indicating that the injuries to Haaland and Jeremy Doku were not serious, and would keep them out for a few weeks at most, it's comforting to know that the entire squad will be fully fit again soon, giving Guardiola a range of options to choose from.

City are 4th in the league, with just four points separating them and Liverpool at the top. They now have just one Premier League game, against Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium, to contend with before they travel to Saudi Arabia for the FIFA Club World Cup.

Before that, however, City face a trip to Serbia for a dead rubber match against Red Star Belgrade, which will hopefully be an opportunity for some of City's lesser spotted players, such as Sergio Gomez, Kalvin Phillips and Oscar Bobb, to start the game from the off and make a claim for more minutes.

Here are the player ratings for the victory against Luton: (4-2-4 formation)

Ederson - 6.5/10 - Had next to nothing to do in goal. Not a lot he could've done for the goal in reality, bar perhaps coming to claim the initial cross. He flapped at a late corner kick, but other than that, he had a solid match.

Walker - 5.5/10 - Another match in which Walker has looked slightly off the pace. He often looked as though he had a mistake in him, and was lapse in possession a few times when you'd usually expect him to keep the ball. Hopefully, a rest in midweek will reset him in time for the Club World Cup in a few weeks.

Dias - 7.5/10 - The Portuguese international looks to be back after a few poor performances, as he put in a solid display today. His aerial ability in defence was crucial at the back end of the game today, with Luton piling the pressure on with set pieces. Could've scored as well, had it not been a good save from Kaminski at the start of the second half.

Ake - 8/10 - The Dutchman was imperious at the back once again, as he continues to make himself an immovable presence from City's strongest starting XI. Could've got an assist for Dias, and was generally solid all afternoon at the back.

Gvardiol - 6.5/10 - Could've done better to close down the cross for the goal, and looked slightly nervous at times. However, he was mostly solid, and offered a good attacking threat down the left hand side, particularly in the first half.

Rodri - 9/10 - My man of the match, Rodri was more or less flawless in the centre of the park. When paired with Kovacic, it tends to bring the best out of the Spaniard, and that showed today, as he kept things ticking and won the ball back repeatedly to break down Luton attacks.

Kovacic - 8/10 - Excellent performance from the 29 year old, who helped dictate the play centrally. He had a couple of poor moments where he dawdled on the ball a bit, but for the most part, his exquisite ball carrying and short passing was crucial in helping City control the game.

Bernardo - 8/10 - Despite a few uninspiring moments where he conceded possession cheaply, Bernardo was largely excellent, as he buzzed around in the final third. He took his goal superbly with a wonderful curling finish that left the goalkeeper helpless.

Alvarez - 6.5/10 - Worked hard with his pressing, but was City's least effective attacker in terms of touches of the ball. He was often outmuscled by Luton's much bigger defenders, but he did have a good game overall and helped City play with more control and flexibility.

Foden - 8/10 - Very sharp when receiving the ball on the turn, and was City's best player in the first half. Slightly quieter in the second half, but still played his part in City's second goal by feeding Alvarez to cross to Grealish.

Grealish - 7.5/10 - The 28 year old has had better games in a City shirt, but he was solid nonetheless, as, like Bernardo, he rotated around the frontline making a positive impact everywhere he went. He took his goal well at the backpost, showing once again an improvement in the way he attacks the penalty area.

Substitutes:

Stones - 6.5/10 - Had very few touches, but won numerous duels to help City grind out the win.

Nunes - 6.5/10 - Came off the bench to help City keep the ball in the corner and offer Walker help on the right hand side. He got beaten by a through ball on one occasion, but was solid defensively otherwise.

Akanji - Not enough time to make an impact.