Birmingham City

Maik Taylor 7: Brought in for his first start of the season and looked like he had never been away. No outstanding saves to comment on but did what he had to do very well and prevented all the away side’s attacks.

Steven Carr 7: The veteran right back pursued speedy Craig Bellamy all over and didn’t give Manchester City a sniff down the left hand side. Looked very comfortable and at home today.

Roger Johnson 8: The centre back will be extremely proud of his performance today, a defensive rock for the home side today and gave Santa Cruz a torrid first start. Frustrated Manchester City at every opportunity.

Scott Dann 6: The central defender was booked for a rash tackle in the first half and never looked as comfortable as his partner. The defender contained to stick tight to the City attackers however and thwarted most of their chances.

Liam Ridgewell 5: The centre back come left back was given a torrid time by the sublime Wright-Phillips. Ridgewell was left chasing shadows for most of the game and never got anywhere near his opposition.

Sebastian Larsson 6: A quiet game from the set piece specialist who never looked his usual bright self. Couldn’t break Wayne Bridge’s resistance anywhere near enough and wasn’t a big threat for the duration of the afternoon.

Barry Ferguson 7: Despite being red carded in the 96th minute the Scottish central midfielder looked assured in possession, battled very well and rarely gave the ball away. Has a strong partnership in central midfield and looks like a tremendous buy for compatriot Alex Mcleish.

Lee Bowyer 6: The midfielder fought well for 90 minutes but was never dominant in the way he would have wanted. Was sometimes a passenger in the few Manchester City breaks and never got close enough to his midfield opposition.

James McFadden 6: The villain of the day with a penalty miss on the hour mark. Looked very lively in the first half but didn’t have the same impact in the second. Wasn’t sure which possession he was playing and lost confidence after penalty miss and was immediately withdrawn.

Cameron Jerome 4: Was very much of a spectator for the entire game and only had one shot of note. Didn’t get involved in the game and left all the running and attacking to partner Benitez. Was rightly withdrawn but probably too late in the eye’s of the home fans, has a lot to prove in the Premier League.

Christian Benitez 7: Some flashes of brilliance against a resilient Manchester City defence. Had his work cut out with striking partner Jerome as much involved as the fan sat in row 12. Had several chances in the opening 15 minutes and should have possibly converted at least one. A real thorn in the Manchester City defence but will be glad he isn’t playing against Given every week.

Keith Fahey (Sub McFadden 60) 6: Looked lively when introduced and linked up with strikers well however needed more time to make a bigger impact.

Kevin Phillips (Sub Jerome 87) No rating: Not enough time

Manchester City

Shay Given  (Man of the Match) 9: A breathtaking performance from the Manchester City stopper. Produced majestic saves from the first minute and is really highlighting the fact he is one of the best keepers in the world. Led from the back and had to deal with more shots than he anticipated but was rightly man of the match.

Pablo Zabaleta 8: Strong, determined and gritty from the Argentine right-back. Was very solid at the back and restricted opportunities down his flank. A breath of fresh air going forward and linked up tremendously well with Wright-Phillips and compatriot Tevez on several occasions.

Vincent Kompany 6: Less solid than his defensive partner but did what was expected of him with minimal fuss on his first start of the campaign. Was up against a tough forward in Benitez but kept Jerome the quietest on the pitch.

Joleon Lescott 7: Has come in for recent criticism but put recent poor performances behind him to act as a rock at the heart of defence with captain Toure sidelined. Looked comfortable on the ball and his distribution was highly appreciated by the forwards.

Wayne Bridge 7: Bridge has looked like a real shining light at left back this season. Some tough tackles and good positional awareness is making him a definite understudy for Ashley Cole for the World Cup. Attacked well on occasions and accuracy of his crosses was a particular highlight.

Shaun Wright-Phillips 8: A constant attacking threat for the blues and would have surely impressed a watching Fabio Capello. Gave Birmingham defenders a torrid time at the back with lightning pace and swirling runs. Tracked backed well when needed and linked up with Zabaleta and Tevez. Only down side to the performance was the end product.

Nigel De Jong 6: The Dutch midfield produced another combative and destructive display but was let down by his distribution. Gave away a controversial penalty and will thank Given for saving it.

Gareth Barry 6: Ex-Villain was booed throughout but this did little to affect Mr. Consistent who was steady and assured in possession for 90 minutes. Broke up play very well but did little to influence proceedings.

Craig Bellamy 7: A constant threat for the opposition given his blistering pace and desire but found Carr a good competitor. Would have liked more support from the target man and will probably feel a little let down.

Carlos Tevez 8: Instrumental in the majority of the away team’s attacks and always looked to create opportunities for himself and others. Never had any real chances to score but was at his creative best with some slick through balls.

Roque Santa Cruz 5: On his first start of the season the centre forward was understandably rusty. A poor first touch on occasions and well off the first half pace. Had some opportunities to score which surely a match fit Santa Cruz would have done.

Steven Ireland (Sub De Jong 63) 5: Little influence by the creative midfielder who often looked lost without the ball.

Martin Petrov (Sub Santa Cruz 65) 5: Some strong trademark darts at the opposition however failed to deliver the killer pass.

By Tom Birtwistle