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

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A goal from Erling Haaland was enough for Manchester City to grind out a win against Brentford and move to within one point of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.

In a very untypical City performance, which saw large amounts of frustration from the Etihad Stadium crowd throughout the game, the Blues struggled to build up much of a rhythm until they went 1-0 up.

But come the end of the season, it's games like these that City will be looking back on come the end of the season as three very important points in the three way race for the title.

Unlike in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea, City started Bernardo Silva and Oscar Bobb, both of whom helped City maintain control of the game in high areas. The two linked up effectively down the left, and in fact had City's best chances of the first half.

Bernardo came closest with a header from just outside the six yard box that bounced just wide of the near post, whilst Bobb's remarkable composure in the penalty area gave him a shooting chance, but his right footed shot was cleared off the line.

Mark Flekken, who impressed again after performing well in the reverse fixture made two good saves from Ruben Dias from close range, as well as tipping a superb long range effort from the impressive Manuel Akanji over the crossbar.

Other than those chances, City struggled to create against Brentford's resolute deep block, which was looking very difficult to break down. This caused much discontent amongst the fans, who were screaming for City to speed things up a bit going forwards.

As it was, however, City needed to close it down. The players were rushing too much to make something happen, which led to frustrating moments such as a short freekick which just saw Bernardo play the ball straight out of play in an attempted pass to Julian Alvarez.

And slow it down they did, but only after City went 1-0 up out of nowhere. A fizzed through pass from Alvarez found Haaland, who carried the ball past the slipping Kristoffer Ajer and slipped the ball in the bottom left corner for goal number 22 of the season.

From this point, we finally saw City playing to the standard they've proven they're capable of. They knocked the ball around with confidence and swagger, with Phil Foden in particular coming to the fore.

The 23 year old should've scored late on to make it 2-0, but he tried to overcomplicate things by rounding Flekken instead of shooting when in front of goal.

Brentford weren't without their own opportunities. They launched a few set pieces and long balls into the area, all of which were dealt with well by Ederson and the City defence.

Ivan Toney looked like Brentford's biggest goal threat, with his closest effort being a long range strike that just skimmed over the bar, as well as a freekick that was just far wide of the post.

In terms of general play, City deserved the win over the Bees. They played ok in the first half, poorly up until a few minutes after the goal in the second, and then began to find their feet and saw the game out in a controlled fashion.

The Blues face Bournemouth next in the Premier League, before a difficult run of matches in all competitions. They face Luton Town away in the FA Cup, followed by Manchester United, Liverpool, Brighton, Aston Villa and Arsenal in the space of a month in the Premier League, with a Champions League second leg tie against Copenhagen to contend with too.

Here are the player ratings for the victory at the Etihad:

Ederson - 6.5/10 - Very little to do. Came out and caught a few crosses well, and looked generally solid the entire match. A few nice long passes from the back capped off his performance.

Walker - 6.5/10 -Some very good moments, some less good moments. Having been a more or less guaranteed starter all season, Akanji's performance at full back means Walker might find his starting place under jeopardy, just like it was at this stage of the campaign last year during City's run in the Champions League.

Stones - 6.5/10 - Like many of City's usually reliable players, Stones was guilty of one or two poor balls in the middle of the park in the second period that saw City concede possession. He also lost most of his aerial duels against Toney, who, to be fair, is arguably the most dangerous aerial forward in the Premier League. But, for the most part, the 29 year old was as solid and smooth as usual at the back for City.

Dias - 7/10 - Like Stones, Dias gave the ball away cheaply a few times. But the Portuguese international won most of his duels against Yoanne Wissa and later Neal Maupay, and even came close to adding his name to the scoresheet on two separate occasions.

Akanji - 8.5/10 - City's man of the match on the night, Akanji was more or less flawless on the night. He was aggressive and tenacious when stepping forward to engage in duels, and was accurate with his passing. Very unfortunate not to score with a wicked long range effort that was well saved by Flekken.

Rodri - 7/10 - Other than a few loose passes when everyone was at it in the second half, Rodri was City's most reliable player (other than Akanji) in keeping possession. He also offered plenty going forwards at times, playing a few accurate long balls to Walker crashing the penalty box.

Bernardo - 6.5/10 - Bernardo was one of the main culprits of giving the ball away in the second half, something which he very, very rarely does. Showed a few flashes of brilliance however, and ultimately came to his own in the final 20 minutes as City closed the game out perfectly.

Alvarez - 6.5/10 - Largely playing in the role Foden plays in as right winger with the licence to roam, Alvarez put in a solid shift. He offered a threat down the right hand side, and probably should've scored with his left footed shot from the edge of the penalty area that cleared the crossbar. It was refreshing to see that Alvarez can be utilised in this position, largely because it gives Foden more freedom to play in the centre of the park.

Foden - 7.5/10 - Was trying to make things happen in Kevin de Bruyne's absence, but wasn't able to function at his creative best until City scored. However, after City went 1-0 up, Foden was City's best player by a long distance, and could easily have come away with both a goal and an assist in that short period of time.

Bobb - 7/10 - Beat his man a few times and looked City's most dangerous outlet in the first half. Very unfortunate in my opinion to be subbed off for Jeremy Doku as early as he was. Bobb put in a strong claim for starting more often, which is pleasing for all City fans who want to see another academy graduate in the first team.

Haaland - 8/10 - Looked sharp and dangerous up front when the ball was played up to him. Carried the ball forward well a few times and looked a genuine threat whenever he was on the ball. Took his goal very well with a composed finish, which silenced his doubters following his numerous missed chances in the Chelsea game.

Substitutes:

Doku - 7/10 - His best performance since he came back from his month long injury. Doku had elements of the injured Jack Grealish's patient and controlled game mixed in with his own chaotic swagger as he offered a consistent and dangerous outlet wide on the left hand side.

Kovacic - 6.5/10 - Not a lot of time to make an impact, but had a few very good touches to help City keep possession and play their game in the final minutes against the Bees.