Manchester City 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Grading Mario Balotelli and Teammates

Should Mario Balotelli have been on the field to score the game-winning penalty? 

What grade did I give him in this game? 

Following a 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City have now taken 61 points from a possible 63 points at home. 

Here are the grades for the Manchester City players. 

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart

Grade: B-

Joe Hart was left hanging by Stefan Savić's poor header and really couldn't do anything about Gareth Bale's spectacular goal. 

Hart only made one save. 

Right-Back: Micah Richards

Grade: D

Micah Richards was tormented by Gareth Bale. 

In the 13th minute, he was caught out of position as Bale surged down the left flank and delivered in a cross. 

Fourteen minutes later, Benoît Assou-Ekotto managed to get in a cross. 

In the 29th minute, Richards created a goal-scoring opportunity after dispossessing Gareth Bale. 

In the 73rd minute, Richards couldn't stop another Bale cross. 

In the 91st minute, Richards was away on leave when Bale sent in what could have been the game-winning cross. 

Centre-Back: Joleon Lescott

Grade: B

Joleon Lescott's only noteworthy moment in the first half was giving away a dangerous free kick for blocking Gareth Bale.   

Lescott put his body on the line and was rewarded when he bundled in to score from Samir Nasri's corner. 

In the 77th minute, Jermain Defoe outpaced Lescott, but Defoe's poor second touch allowed Lescott to win the ball back. 

Lescott did block three shots, one of which was goal-bound. 

Centre-Back: Stefan Savić

Grade: F

Stefan Savić's tackle on Gareth Bale early in the game ensured the Welshman didn't force his way through Manchester City's defence. 

Earlier in the game, Savić had headed the ball straight to Luka Modrić. 

In the 60th minute, Savić headed the ball straight to Jermain Defoe, who unlike Modrić, took advantage and scored. 

To be fair to Savić, he did have a decent first half, but he just went off the rails in the second half. 

He almost gave Tottenham the victory late in stoppage time. 

Left-Back: Gaël Clichy

Grade: C

Gaël Clichy gave away a foolish free kick in the sixth minute when he bundled over Kyle Walker. 

He lost his bearings three minutes later when he spiked Walker's attempted throw-in. Clearly, Clichy has been watching too much NBA. 

In the 52nd minute, Clichy was marking Gareth Bale, who delivered in a cross.

A minute later, Luka Modrić sent in a cross with Clichy nowhere to be seen. 

The Frenchman is consistently a liability in defence and needs to up his game. 

If Bale was right-footed, Clichy would have been taken to the cleaners—Maicon style. 

Defensive Midfielder: Gareth Barry

Grade: B

Gareth Barry quietly went about his business as he accumulated the most passes in the game. 

He won back possession four times and successfully completed his role.  

Defensive Midfielder: James Milner

Grade: A

If not for brilliant last-ditch tackle to deny Gareth Bale in the 51st minute, the result could have been a Manchester City loss. 

James Milner made four tackles, intercepted the ball three times and distributed the ball effectively. 

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Right Attacking Midfielder: Samir Nasri

Grade: B+

Was Samir Nasri even playing in the first half? 

Yes, he did complete a high percentage of passes, but he needed to produce more incisive and key passes. 

In the first half, he didn't make a single key pass, nor did he thread an accurate long ball. 

That frustration of being ineffective was released when he made a smart run and blasted the ball past Brad Friedel. 

That goal ignited Nasri's confidence, as he went on to a superb second half. 

Left Attacking Midfielder: David Silva

Grade: A+

We've come to expect world class performances from David Silva, and today he delivered again. 

For a guy who threads through balls and consistently plays incisive balls, it's remarkable that he rarely gives the ball away. 

What an exquisite pass to open up Tottenham Hotspur's defence for Manchester City's first goal!

He completed 66 passes at a 92 percent success rate. 

Deep Lying Forward: Sergio Agüero

Grade: A

In the 18th minute, Sergio Agüero was denied a clear-cut goal-scoring opportunity when his shot was excellently blocked. 

Unfortunately, it wasn't a Tottenham Hotspur player who blocked the shot, but his own teammate Edin Džeko.

Agüero dominated the game as he had the Spurs defence scrambling. 

Centre Forward: Edin Džeko

Grade: F

It was Wigan Athletic all over again when Edin Džeko blocked Sergio Agüero's shot in the 18th minute. 

Ironically, after 38 minutes, Džeko had only completed 38 percent of his passes.  

Four minutes later, with David Silva free out wide and Sergio Agüero in the centre, Džeko blasted his shot into Row Z.

Džeko ended up completing 55 percent of his passes, turned over the ball three times and was ineffective for the large majority of the game. 

Unsurprisingly, he was subbed off for Mario Balotelli. 

Substitute: Mario Balotelli

Grade: B-

In 30 minutes, Mario Balotelli only completed 60 percent passes and didn't even bother tracking back. 

Another mind snap to add to the collection when he stomped on Scott Parker's head.

He should have been sent off, but he wasn't.

He was ice cold when he converted the game-winning penalty. 

Please read 15 Premier League Transfers That Never Happened.