Stefan Ortega – 6

He had nothing to do until Tom Ince curved one into the far corner, at which point he was unable to intervene. However, a misplaced kick almost got City in trouble.

Rico Lewis – 7

Again, he looked his strongest on the right wing, attacking with vigor all night and assisting Nunes’ goal.

Kyle Walker – 6

Kyle Walker fumbled Vakoun Issouf Bayo’s header for Watford’s greatest opportunity of the first half, and the striker was fortunate not to score. He did, however, perform admirably as a centre-back in an unaccustomed position.

John Stones – 7

A calmly poised performance in which he was the glue that held a youthful and shaky defense together.

Kaden Braithwaite – 6

On his debut, Kaden Braithwaite was extremely assured on the ball and appeared at ease in City’s system, already establishing himself as a solid left-back.

The teenager was outwitted and outmuscled by Kwadwo Baah and was lucky to have the Watford striker’s goal ruled out for a harsh foul, but it was the only flaw in his display.

He left after 75 minutes due to a cramp, but received well-deserved applause.

Matheus Nunes – 7

Matheus Nunes hasn’t had many opportunities this season, but he’s made an impact with his few minutes on the pitch, including a wonderful strike following a brilliant assist against West Ham. Only excellent goalkeeping prevented him from getting two.

Guardiola was upset with Nunes’ decision-making on the ball, despite his great performance and threat in the area.

Nico O’Reilly – 6

On his second game for the club, he had tidy feet and recycled the ball efficiently, but he was outpaced at times when Watford counterattack.

Although unlikely to replace Rodri, he may receive more minutes owing to the injury, therefore a confident performance is crucial. Worked pretty well in some tight areas.

James McAtee – 6

Not only did James McAtee read the play and press the goalie to recover the ball for the first goal, but he also made the correct pass thereafter.

City’s squad players, including James McAtee, have a chance to get a starting berth in the midfield due to probable openings. McAtee has demonstrated his ball skills and hard effort, making him a strong candidate.

Jeremy Doku – 7

Jeremy Doku opened the scoring with a beautiful dragging finish into the corner for his first goal of the season, and he was a constant danger on the right. After playing 70 minutes on Sunday, he was correctly brought off at halftime.

Phil Foden – 5.

Phil Foden, deployed as False 9, had a quiet night as he continues to find his groove. His most notable contribution was a clumsy ball loss in the midfield, which set up a deadly Watford counterattack.

It’s been a sluggish and interrupted start to the season, and it appears that he still needs more minutes to get back to his best.

Jack Grealish – 8

Jack Grealish’s inventiveness led to the late equalizer against Arsenal, adding another assist to his credit.

City’s No.10 has looked particularly sharp this season, consistently attempting to attack the full-backs with technique and speed. He seems to have regained his spark.

Grealish was at the heart of City’s brilliant forward play, with sharp passing and entertaining trickery, as well as some hard effort in the other way, and has earned his place in the starting XI moving forward.

Substitutes

Savinho – 7

Unfortunately, a goal-bound shot was cleared off the line, and another effort bounced off the post after bringing the ball the length of the pitch, as his first City goal eluded him.

However, Savinho put on another live wire show on the wing, and he should have had an assist, but the Grealish effort he teed up was superbly saved.

Jacob Wright – 6

Jacob Wright made his first appearance of the season in the 72nd minute, following a few of cameos last season. He moved the ball nicely when it came his way.

Josko Gvardiol – 6

Perhaps we could have gotten closer to Ince for the goal.

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