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Manchester City beat Brentford 1-0 in the Premier League to continue their unbeaten streak after being made to work hard for the points
Simon is the MEN's Chief Manchester City Writer. He joined the MEN sport desk in 2013 and has covered City home and away since 2016, reporting on Pep Guardiola's time at the club.
Manchester City hung on to claim three points at Brentford for their first away win in the Premier League since the opening day. Defeat at Brighton was followed by a late draw at Arsenal but the Blues left West London with a hard-earned victory.
Everything looked easy for Pep Guardiola's side in a one-sided opening half, with Erling Haaland scoring early and Phil Foden and Tijjani Reijnders among those going close to extending the lead. However, another goal did not come and it was a completely different game in the second half.
Brentford pushed City all the way in the second period but City held out for what could be a big win in their season. Here are the player ratings from the Manchester Evening News.
Donnarumma: An important stop in the second half and his game management was excellent as City came under pressure - until that late heart scare. 7
Nunes: Lots of very good play marked by the occasional lapses in concentration that threatened City's lead. 6
Dias: Commanding throughout and made some smart decisions as Brentford pushed in the second half. 8
Gvardiol: Lucky that Thiago didn't score when he played him through, although had picked up another assist for Haaland. 7
O'Reilly: Solid against Brentford's set-pieces, an attacking threat, and one of the calmest heads in possession. 8
Rodri: Had looked like being one of his best performances since injury until it was all over in painfully quick time. 7
Reijnders: Unlucky not to see his volley crash in, although he needed more of a presence after the break. 6
Foden: Involved a lot on the ball but his finishing was not up to his usual standards. 6
Bobb: Can sometimes flatter to deceive but created some excellent chances from the right. 7
Savinho: Quiet in the first half and while he grew into the game he needlessly gave the ball away a few times. 6
Haaland: Another brilliant goal before an excellent defensive performance, sensing the danger for City early. 8
Substitutes
Gonzalez (for Rodri, 21): Did a decent job, albeit still needs to learn the right ball for every situation. 6
Doku (for Bobb, 77): Helped to give City some more control. 7
Silva (for Reijnders, 77): Helped to shut Brentford out. 6
Not used: Trafford, Stones, Ake, Lewis, Kovacic, Cherki
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