Player Ratings: Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester City

Joe Hart (6.5): It was a quiet afternoon for Hart. The netminder, who has conceded just five goals in Premier League action this season, was not tested in this goalless contest.

Bacary Sagna (7.0): He pushed on quite well in attack, working well with Jesus Navas on the right side. Sagna continues to shine on defense and had no trouble dealing with anything Villa threw at him on Sunday. Villa left-back Jordan Amavi, meanwhile, certainly had his hands full with Sagna and Navas.

Vincent Kompany (7.0): The skipper was on his game, intercepting passes and defending with alertness. All four center-backs on the field looked strong, including former City man and Villa captain Micah Richards.

Nicolas Otamendi (7.0): The Argentine worked well with Kompany to quell any attacks Villa managed to put together. Overall, it was not too strenuous a day at the back.

Aleksandar Kolarov (7.0): He backtracked tirelessly, including in the first half when he stymied Carles Gil on a mini-breakaway. Kolarov also contributed at the offensive end, forcing Brad Guzan into decent near-post save in the first half. He also hit a powerful free kick in second half that Guzan spilled.

Fernandinho (8.0): The ideal center defensive mid, Fernandinho once again wowed with his steady play. The Brazilian CDM partnership looked strong, limiting Villa's time of possession.

Fernando (7.0): He came ever so close to playing the role of hero. In the waning moments of the match, the holding mid found himself inside the area and with the game on his head. He headed one goalwards, but the ball struck the crossbar and eventually fell to Fernandinho, who hit a fine low placement shot that narrowly missed.

Kevin De Bruyne (8.0): KDB exhibited excellent movement off the ball and was involved in some beautiful combination play in the final third. He had a terrific scoring chance with 25 minutes remaining but was unable to finish off Jesus Navas' cross. He was unlucky to come up empty on this glorious chance, but he supplied quality passes all afternoon. He had a great cross in the final minute of added time, as Guzan was floundering in trying to punch it away, but City could not convert.

Yaya Toure (7.0): The beast knocked the ball around nicely in midfield, but his role in the team just looks so different without David Silva floating about in front of him. City came out in second half dominating possession, and Toure was a major reason why. It is worth noting that the home side had their own rock in central midfield in the form of Carlos Sanchez.

Raheem Sterling (7.0): Quick as always, Sterling brought tremendous energy and work rate to the table. With that said, he will be thinking about a handful of chances that he could have put away in this game to break the deadlock. He had a golden opportunity in the 37th minute, as he raced towards the net and looked poised to give City the lead. Then he hesitated and cut back onto his right foot. Suddenly the chance had gone. His header on 53 minutes, though, looked like a surefire goal. But Guzan made a remarkable save with his noggin to deny Sterling.

Wilfried Bony (5.0): The forward was unable to leave his mark on the game, as he sustained an injury and was forced to exit the match in the 25th minute.

Substitutes:

Jesus Navas (7.5): The winger got ample playing time, replacing Bony before the half-hour mark. He should have had two assists on the day, one to Sterling and one to De Bruyne. Always unselfish and looking to pick out a man in the box, Navas does an excellent job of winning corners and forcing defenders into uncomfortable situations.

Fabian Delph (6.5): Delph entered the fold for Toure with 12 minutes remaining in regulation. He turned in a short but sweet performance.

Kelechi Iheanacho (6.5): The youngster came on for Sterling in the 84th minute. He provided an instant impact, floating in the cross that Fernando nearly headed home. Just imagine his production once he gets more minutes out there.