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

Joe Hart (6.5): Let's go ahead and acknowledge that Alvaro Morata's curling strike was utter perfection. Mario Mandzukic also kissed one off the post after getting on the end of a glorious aerial pass from Paul Pogba. Even though Hart stayed home instead of coming out and challenging Mandzukic, it is hard to fault the goalkeeper here. He made a quality save on Stefano Sturaro in the second half when City lead 1-0, but his counterpart Gianluigi Buffon was arguably the man of the match.

Bacary Sagna (7.0): Sagna put in a number of successful tackles, including those higher up the pitch. He continues to bomb down the right flank with pace and energy.

Vincent Kompany (7.0): The good news? His injury is not too serious. More good news? He played very well against a dangerous strike force in Morata and Mandzukic. Yes, both of these players scored (Kompany watched Juve's second goal from the bench), but he regularly cleared the danger and was steady at the back.

Eliaquim Mangala (6.5): There was nothing too crazy from Mangala in this match. It was a perfectly average game from him for the most part. He was beaten by a precision pass from Pogba on the tying goal, but overall he played well and sniffed out danger with Kompany.

Aleksandar Kolarov (6.5): He was obviously a tough physical matchup for Juan Cuadrado. The shifty Cuadrado managed to whip in a handful of dangerous crosses, but Kolarov is too disciplined a defender to get burned one-on-one.

Yaya Toure (7.0): He did not go into full-fledged beast mode like he sometimes does, but he certainly contained Pogba. Toure had a good-but-not-outstanding game for 88 minutes, but then he curled a ball goalwards and looked as if he has nabbed the equalizer. He came agonizingly close, as Buffon made yet another impressive save.

Fernandinho (8.5): He completed nearly 95 percent of his passes and could so easily have had a goal to his name. He ripped a half-volley from outside the area on 40 minutes, sending Buffon airborne and just barely missing the frame. He sits in the middle of the park and reads play so effectively, as he constantly cuts out entry passes. His tactical discipline was certainly on show, and he made defending the likes of Pogba look fairly easy at times.

Samir Nasri (6.5): The hardworking winger was kept in check by Patrice Evra. He was unable to create in the final third and did not get his usual goal-scoring opportunities. Nothing egregious from Nasri. Just a quiet outing.

David Silva (7.0): Speaking of a quiet outing, Silva was uncharacteristically mortal in this game. Juventus restricted the space in midfield and got compact on defense when need be, limiting the magician's playmaking as well as his overall impact on the game. The away side clearly did not mind defending with eleven behind the ball.

Raheem Sterling (6.5): Both Sterling and Silva had terrific scoring chances on the same play. With nearly an hour gone in the match, Sterling failed to angle a far-post placement shot past Buffon, and Silva's follow-up was somehow (no idea how) saved by Buffon. Sterling's work rate and backtracking were impressive once again, but his ability to create and his finishing were not up to his standards.

Wilfried Bony (6.5): He looked a bit out of sync with the trailing midfielders, yet he still scraped together some scoring chances. In the opening period, he sliced one wide after a lovely bit of skill to free himself up for the shot. He also nearly got on the end of a couple of low crosses, but Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini warded off the danger. His holdup play was not quite what it was at the weekend, but he still managed to put himself in dangerous areas in and around the box.

Substitutes:

Kevin De Bruyne (6.5): After a pretty spectacular debut, the new kid on the block was unable to explode against Juve. He was reliable in possession, but he could not help City regain the lead after entering the match immediately after Mandzukic's equalizer. Neither De Bruyne nor Sterling could get much going on the left flank.

Nicolas Otamendi (6.0): The circumstances were tough. He entered the match with 15 minutes left in regulation for the injured Kompany. The game was tied. Juve had momentum. He was pulled over too far on Juve's second goal, as a fortuitous bounce for the visitors was complemented by the fact that Otamendi was out of position. The center-back's outstretched leg did not get a piece of the ball, and Morata buried the game-winner.

Sergio Aguero (6.0): Well, he played. This is surprising because of the injury scare and because Jesus Navas was set to enter the match. However, Juve scored the go-ahead goal. Pellegrini opted to put in the striker instead, but City were unable to steal a late goal to salvage a point. Aguero was only on the field for some ten minutes, including stoppage time.