Manchester City vs Brentford player ratings: Doku steals the show in 3-0 win

Manchester City waited more than an hour to break the deadlock against Brentford, but Jérémy Doku made the wait count. His curled finish into the top corner was the moment that opened the game, and it came in what the ratings made clear was a 10/10 display. Doku had already produced his third stunning finish in the space of a week before the result was wrapped up.

Doku was the clear match-winner

The ratings did not leave much room for argument. One match reporter said Doku “went at Brentford from the first minute with pace and intent and stepped up again with a decisive goal. 9”, while another wrote that he “had been City's biggest threat even before he broke the deadlock with a sublime strike.” Those are the sorts of assessments that usually sit on the same side as the footage, and this one does.

The numbers back it up. Doku finished with a 10 rating, scored once, made 6 key passes and completed 6 dribbles successfully. That is a proper attacking performance, not just a flashy goal. Manchester City needed someone to unsettle Brentford, and Doku did it repeatedly from the left and in central areas.

Erling Haaland added the second goal with a close-range backheel, before Omar Marmoush completed the scoring. But this was Doku's night. City had been frustrated for long spells, then one clean finish and a pile of direct running changed the shape of the match.

What the result means for City

There is still a title race to be played out, and City remain second in the Premier League with 71 points from 34 games. Arsenal lead with 76 points from 35 games, so the gap is still there. The relevance of this win is simple enough, though. City have taken 4 wins and 1 draw across their last 5 Premier League matches, and they are still hanging onto the chase.

The more interesting part is how they got there. Goal's ratings staff noted that City got the win they needed after “what was a frustrating first hour”, and that giving Doku the freedom to keep trying dribbles and shots is paying off. That fits this game neatly. More than an hour passed before the breakthrough, but when it arrived it came from the player who had looked most likely to decide it all along.

If City keep getting this version of Doku, they will keep giving themselves a chance in tight games. For now, the 3-0 scoreline is enough to keep the title race alive into the final week.