Rating the Manchester City Players Against QPR

On Saturday afternoon, Manchester City defeated QPR by a 3-1 score at the Etihad Stadium.

With Roberto Mancini's use of three defenders in front of keeper Joe Hart, City have looked like a more attacking side than they were last season.

City went forward in attack early and often in the first half with both starting fullbacks providing extra cover for the attacking players.

The players who stood out for the Citizens were the partnership of Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko, who caused many problems in the penalty area all match long.

Tevez and Dzeko also played a part in all three of the club's goals.

The back four did not have much to do in the match but when they were needed, they stepped up.

However, Man City are still looking for their first clean sheet of the season after Bobby Zamora scored off a rebound in the 59th minute.

Here are the grades for each player that was in the starting lineup for Mancini on Saturday.

Grade: B-

Joe Hart had a solid match in net and was not at fault for the QPR goal.

Hart made a spectacular save off of Andy Johnson's shot but the first-choice keeper was unable to clear the ball away and it bounced to Bobby Zamora, who scored off the rebound.

Other than the QPR goal, Hart did not have to make any spectacular saves, just the routine ones that all keepers are supposed to make.

Grade: B+

Pablo Zabaleta did the same thing for City that he has done since his arrival, go forward on the wing and create chances.

Zabaleta's runs down the wing happened early and often in the first half as City dominated possession.

The Argentine was taken out of the match in the 75th minute after he appeared to pick up an injury.

Grade: B

Joleon Lescott did not do anything too exciting throughout Saturday's match.

Sometimes, being noticed for nothing much is a good thing—much better than being noticed for a mistake.

Lescott was not bothered much during the match by the QPR attack, and when they did attack, the English international was there to stop any further attack.

Grade: B

Vincent Kompany, who played alongside Lescott in the center of defense, was a rock in defense again for City.

The Manchester City skipper was unable to help his club earn their first clean sheet of the season, but they were able to hold off the second half attack of their opponents.

Grade: B-

Alexander Kolarov played in the same role as Zabaleta but on the left side of the pitch.

Kolarov did have one glaring error on defense, as he failed to keep an eye on Bobby Zamora when the QPR forward scored off a rebound for the visitors' first goal.

The left back also delivered a few harsh tackles during the match, one which resulted in a yellow card in the 45th minute.

Grade: B-

Jack Rodwell was placed in the starting 11 on Saturday to play in front of the two central defenders, Lescott and Kompany.

In his third match for City since joining from Everton in August, Rodwell was able to help clog the penalty area in the second half when QPR were threatening to score.

In the coming weeks, Rodwell will have to fight for his spot in the starting lineup due to the acquisition of Javi Garcia before the transfer window closed on Friday.

Grade: A-

Yaya Toure was given the opportunity to advance further up the pitch from the beginning of the match.

With Rodwell holding down the fort in the center of midfield, Toure's movement in attack led to an attack in the first 20 minutes that was relentless on the QPR net.

Toure was the first goal scorer of the match in the 16th minute after the ball deflected to him after Carlos Tevez's shot was blocked.

Once the ball fell to the feet of the Ivorian, he was able to easily find the back of the net to give City a 1-0 lead.

Grade: B+

David Silva was very active in the Manchester City attack all day, but he failed to have a strong finishing touch.

Silva's best chance to score a goal came in the 34th minute.

The Spanish midfielder was able to get open down the right side on that play, but once he got into the penalty area, he could not get the ball on to his preferred left foot and had his right-footed shot blocked by a defender.

Silva was a force in the attack in the second half as well but he did not make an impact like the other stars on the pitch for City did.

Grade: B

Samir Nasri was the less visible of the two wide midfield players for City on Saturday.

With Silva putting in a ton of work on the opposite side of the pitch, Nasri did not have as many chances as his teammate during the match.

The Frenchman did have a chance in the first half after Silva's shot was saved by QPR keeper Rob Green, but he failed to capitalize on the opportunity.

Grade: A

Carlos Tevez was a workhorse for Roberto Mancini on Saturday, as he popped up in almost every attack.

Tevez played a part in all of City's goals in the 3-1 win.

It was the Argentine's deflected shot that landed on the foot of Toure for the first goal of the match.

In the 61st minute, Tevez's cross from the edge of the box hit the head of Edin Dzeko for City's second goal.

Tevez finished off the scoring in the 90th minute, as he redirected Dzeko's shot into the net.

Grade: A

Edin Dzeko also played a huge role in City's win at home over QPR.

Paired alongside Tevez up front, Dzeko was able to get open especially in the second half when QPR were counter-attacking.

Dzeko scored in the 61st minute off of a cross from Tevez, just one minute after QPR scored an equalizer.

Dzeko returned the favor to his strike partner in the 90th minute, when he got an assist on Tevez's goal after the shot was deflected off the Argentine playmaker.