City vs Racing ratings

Schmeichel At fault for the first goal and maybe the third. Could have got sent off had his attempted body check on Tchite made contact, and could have had a penalty awarded against him in the first half. Hart should be more worried about Buffon. 5

Zabaleta Struggled a bit in the first half, but was very good after the break. Put in some brave tackles, although was rightly booked for a late one. Performed the only 'Zidane spin' I've ever seen a defender do not on PES. Nice ball for Caicedo's goal. 7

Richards Had a difficult time against some good forwards. Could have done better for the third goal, perhaps. We missed Richard Dunne. 5

Ben Haim Gave away the free kick for Racing's first goal, easily exposed for pace for their second. The January spending spree will only push him further down the pecking order: could Allardyce want him at Blackburn as part of a Santa Cruz deal? 4

Garrido Good to have him back - solid defensively and was an attacking threat throughout. The second most improved player of 2008/09. 6

Hamann Passing and tackling as good as ever. Looked off the pace at times, but that should be no surprise. Still good for occasional deployment in matches like these. 7

Fernandes Tireless running and cavalier tackling, as expected. Spent about an hour chasing the ball until he got Kompany alongside him. His regression is one of the great mysteries of the last few years. 5

Elano Finally given his chance: two holding players, a UEFA referee and an opposition who allowed space in front of their defence. He could have written the context. But his performance was poor. Failed time and time again to produce an effective final ball for Evans. Was heading for a red card when Hughes took him off (remember Midtjylland away or Bramhall Lane). 4

Vassell Anonymous. Of course we got hard work and tackling, but the severe quality deficit was as obvious as it has been every other week for the last two seasons. If he survives January something's gone wrong. 4

Evans Very little reward out of Argentine international and Real Madrid owned Ezequiel Garay. Went through once but was cut down. Could have guaranteed himself a start for Sunday, but didn't. 5

Robinho Still not recovered from his ankle injury - barely got in the game today. A real problem for the next few weeks. 4

Subs

Ireland Deployed on the left of a 4-2-3-1 (think Craven Cottage). Improved our ball retention and passing no end. A shame we had to use him though - this was meant to be his day off. 7

Kompany Did a much needed job breaking down Racing's attacks. Should have got sent off for a nasty foul though. 6

Caicedo Samaras' (not Bianchi's - J) number, Mpenza's hair, and a great finish to open his account for the club, almost a whole year after his £5.3m move. A fairytale first league start at the Hawthorns? 7