It took us ages to get going, & our passing was very sloppy in the first half. We looked rusty, but still showed flashes of brilliance when it mattered most.
Mahrez stepped up to the plate & was a constant danger. Sterling grew into the game & was clinical in the 2nd half.
Rodders has to learn to react quicker. Several times he put himself under unnecessary pressure by dawdling on the ball, but overall he was assured & was a big asset. Pep seems soaked on him, so that bodes well for City.
It was a brilliant reverse pass by Silva for Sterling, but Silva was worryingly wilting quite early. Foden will hopefully be introduced earlier in matches, as he's needed to plug the gap of an ageing Silva. We just have to hope he's developed enough to bridge the gap between youth football & man football.
Over all, the match ended well & we were comfortable. We don't usually hit our stride until the international break in September, so hopefully we'll keep up our performances in the meantime.
VAR is weird. When Sterling's last minute winner was chalked off in the CL QF's, I went from elation to disbelief & despair in 5 seconds. It was nowhere near like that today, but cheering a goal & having to wait to see if it will be allowed spoils that instant moment.
Unfortunately, we'll all have to get used to it.