UEFA Champions League 2015 Player Ratings: Borussia Monchengladbach 1-2 Manchester City

Joe Hart (8.5): Hart played lights-out. He made a terrific penalty save against Raffael in the first 20 minutes. Shortly thereafter, he corralled a flighted ball from a corner kick and served up a quick punt to send Sergio Aguero on a one-man counterattack. Aguero was unable to find the back of the net, but Hart's distribution was a thing of beauty. He was in command and could not have done anything on the goal he conceded.

Bacary Sagna (8.0): Sagna joined the attack well, looking comfortable in possession and constantly probing. His defensive performance was excellent as well. After a quiet 2014/15 campaign with minimal playing time, Sagna has returned to elite status this season.

Martin Demichelis (7.0): He did not look terribly comfortable with the ball at his feet early on, but this improved as the match wore on. He should have been awarded with the equalizing goal after an awkward but effective finish on a corner kick. Demichelis and Otamendi worked well together as a center-back tandem but sometimes looked vulnerable when the pacey Raffael came storming through the middle of the pitch.

Nicolas Otamendi (8.0): He also receives partial credit for the goal. He was strong is his challenges and looked very organized back there. Raffael is capable of pulling central defenders into higher positions on the field and then getting in behind, so Otamendi did a fairly good job of not letting the crafty attacker do too much damage.

Aleksandar Kolarov (7.0): It was not his most spectacular game, and he and Sterling still have tremendous room for growth together on the left side. He played a decent game, but his flank was exploited on Monchengladbach's goal.

Yaya Toure (6.5): Manuel Pellegrini has had his reservations about Toure's fitness of late, and the Ivorian only played the first half of this game. It will be important to monitor his lingering hamstring issues moving forward.

Fernandinho (8.0): It was just another great game from the midfield man. He teamed up with Fernando in the second half and had good chemistry with his compatriot. He appeared to be in the goalscoring mood and almost found the back of the net from distance a couple of times.

Kevin De Bruyne (8.0): Tidy footwork. Intelligent movement. Crisp passing. And he's just getting started.

David Silva (7.0): Like Toure, he missed the Tottenham clash at the weekend due to injury. He exited the match with 25 minutes remaining, as he is just getting back from a calf injury. The fluidity between midfield players was not at its best, but City still managed to earn the three points.

Raheem Sterling (7.0): He has flashes of brilliance but is still refining his game. He maybe did not challenge the Monchengladbach defense as much as he could have, but his work rate and his raw ability are still very promising.

Sergio Aguero (8.0): Aguero had the game on his foot and did not falter. He tucked away a lovely penalty in the 90th minute to give City the three points. The striker had a number of chances on the night, but he often pulled the ball just wide of the frame. He did work goalkeeper Yann Sommer on a couple of close-range attempts. His penalty was clutch, but he was also the one to draw the foul inside the area. Aguero earned his goal through 90 minutes of tireless play.

Substitutes:

Fernando (7.5): Fernando made his way onto the pitch at the start of the second half, replacing Toure. He had a positive contribution and was winning second balls along with Fernandinho.

Jesus Navas (7.0): Navas came on for Silva on 65 minutes. He injected pace and energy into the game and saw a good bit of the ball in the final 20 minutes or so of action, which was when City really began to dominate.

Pablo Zabaleta (5.0): He entered the match in the 94th minute for Sterling. His place in the team is unclear seeing as Sagna has been so solid at right back.