Player Ratings: Crystal Palace 0-1 Manchester City

Joe Hart (7.5): Hart pitched yet another shutout in yet another City victory. He saved a Jason Puncheon header with some 20 minutes remaining to keep the home side off the board, and he plucked a dangerous Pape Souare cross out of the sky in stoppage time to help see out the victory. Edwin van der Sar holds the Premier League record for longest shutout streak (14 games, 08/09 season).

Bacary Sagna (7.0): Crystal Palace have some incredibly dangerous offensive weapons in Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie. Sagna's pace and positioning were put to the test in this match, and he dealt with these pacey attackers quite well. When City gained possession, Sagna joined the attack well. He is a great go-to option on the flank on overlaps and third man runs.

Vincent Kompany (8.0): The skipper was solid in Saturday's contest, marshaling the middle of defense and prohibiting Bakary Sako from running wild. This was a tough test for the back line, and the unit was up to the challenge.

Eliaquim Mangala (7.0): He refused to shy away from any tackles and proved his chemistry with Kompany is only improving. Mangala was one of three City players to receive a booking in the game.

Aleksandar Kolarov (7.0): Essentially all of Palace's offensive players looked a threat in the first half, but Kolarov and the rest of this back four locked down the fort after the break. Although Bolasie caused some problems when bombing down the right flank in the early going, the Eagles sent a number of shots flying into the 30th row of the stands.

Jesus Navas (8.0): Okay, okay. He missed an open net. De Bruyne played a perfectly weighted pass to Navas, who rounded goalkeeper Alex McCarthy before sending the ball into the side of the net. However, Navas played an excellent game and was a joy to watch as he teamed up with Sagna on the right flank. He is quicker than quick and moves and passes with noticeable intelligence. He challenged an elite left-back in Pape Souare.

Yaya Toure (7.0): Toure had a strong game alongside Fernandinho. The home side came out looking rather spritely, but Toure and his fellow midfielders quelled the storm as the contest wore on.

Fernandinho (8.0): His outstanding run of form continues. He and Toure restricted the opposing midfielders well and helped turn the tide of the game in City's favor in the second half with patient possession.

Samir Nasri (7.5): David Silva and Raheem Sterling both missed Saturday's fixture, and not so coincidentally Nasri earned his first start of the campaign. He is a tremendous playmaker capable of combining well with any of City's center attacking midfield players. Nasri fired the low shot that McCarthy spilled, as Iheanacho found the back of the net on the rebound. Assist by Nasri? Assist by Nasri.

Wilfried Bony (7.0): Bony is a tremendous asset to this team. He finds pockets of space well and can hold the ball up like a champ. Scoring a goal a game is not in this guy's job description, and he again showed that he can be incredibly effective in City's buildup play.

Sergio Aguero (6.5): Aguero was forced to exit the match after just 25 minutes due to a knee injury. City claimed the three points on Saturday, but Aguero's status is uncertain with Tuesday's massive clash against Juventus on the horizon.

Substitutes:

Kevin De Bruyne (8.5): What a player. City's new boy was thrust into the match in the first half to replace Sergio Aguero, and he was flowing from the moment he stepped onto the pitch. He was as good as advertised, from his accurate passing to his intelligent movement off the ball. He looks more than capable of playing both centrally and on the flank.

Kelechi Iheanacho (8.0): He followed up Nasri's strike, burying the rebound to give City the winning goal at the death. He entered the fold in the 89th minute and scored the game-winner in the 90th. Sure. A defining moment early in City's campaign. A defining moment in this young man's career.

Martin Demichelis (6.0): The veteran once again spent just a few minutes on the pitch.