It was a successful night for Bayern Munich as they returned to action in the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Group E rivals Manchester City.

The Premier League champions appeared to do enough to take a point away from their visit to the Allianz Arena, but Jerome Boateng's strike hit the back of the net via Mario Gotze in the 90th minute to hand the win to Bayern.

Below, Sports Mole rates who impressed the most on a tense night of football in Bavaria.

BAYERN MUNICH

Goal

Manuel Neuer: It wasn't a particularly busy night at the office for Neuer, but he handled his duties well in his trademark sweeper-keeper role. (6/10)

Defence

Mehdi Benatia: Pulled on the Bayern shirt for the first time, and did a good job of keeping Edin Dzeko quiet. Faced a different test when Sergio Aguero came on, but looked pretty comfortable all night. (6/10)

Jerome Boateng: Classy performance from the German centre-back. More than happy to come out of defence to begin attacks for his side, and handled everything thrown at him by the visitors. Excellent strike for the goal, too. (8/10)

David Alaba: Started the match as Bayern's third central defender, but soon found himself in midfield as he produced an energetic display. Could have scored twice in the first half, but it was a top display from the Austrian. (8/10)

Midfield

Juan Bernat: Used primarily as a winger in a 3-4-3 system, and was always eager to get forward. Caused a few problems for the visitors with some excellent crosses. (7/10)

Philipp Lahm: In truth, he could probably play in attack and he'd still impress. Kept the ball well, and dictated the tempo of the match superbly. (7/10)

Xabi Alonso: It was clear that Man City knew just how important the Spaniard would be from the first whistle. Fernandinho did well to reduce the space on offer, but he always managed to find a teammate with his range of passing. (7/10)

Rafinha: We've certainly seen him perform better, but his willingness to run up and down the wing means that he will always be a useful asset. (6/10)

Attack

Mario Gotze: He'll eventually be credited with the winning goal after getting a shoulder on Boateng's shot in the 90th minute. Not a great night for the World Cup winner, though. Struggled to make an impact, and was another victim of Fernandinho's impressive display. (6/10)

Robert Lewandowski: At times, the Polish striker was forced to come into midfield to get involved. Looked bright early on, but was given a tough night by Vincent Kompany and Martin Demichelis. (6/10)

Thomas Muller: Probably should have scored twice in the first half, but a great header was kept out by a strong hand from Joe Hart. Typically busy in the final third of the pitch before being replaced by Arjen Robben. (7/10)

Substitutes

Arjen Robben: Searching for full fitness on his return to the side, but was always a threat on the right wing in a cameo appearance off the bench. (6/10)

David Pizarro: Caused problems for City late on as he added a physical presence to the Bayern attack. (6/10)

Dante: Almost allowed Aguero to snatch an equaliser in stoppage time after replacing Benatia in the closing stages. (5/10)

MANCHESTER CITY

Goal

Joe Hart: It would have been a wider margin of victory for Bayern had it not been for Hart. England's number one made a number of excellent saves, and couldn't have kept out the winner. (8/10)

Defence

Bacary Sagna: Bernat put a lot of pressure on the French defender, but he responded pretty well to restrict the room on offer. (6/10)

Vincent Kompany: Man City's captain will be distraught that his side couldn't hang on. However, there wasn't much more he could do on a night when he controlled the defence brilliantly. (8/10)

Martin Demichelis: Made a couple of crucial interceptions to prevent Bayern from scoring earlier, and combined well with Kompany to keep Lewandowski quiet. (7/10)

Gael Clichy: Faced with a greater test when Robben came on in the second half. Despite the pressure, he got forward well and can be proud of his display. (7/10)

Midfield

Fernandinho: Excellent performance from the Brazilian. Handled the threat posed by Bayern's creative players, and made an astonishing amount of tackles as Yaya Toure put pressure on his shoulders. (X/10)

Yaya Toure: It was a poor evening for the Ivorian. Usually such a dominant figure in midfield, but made too many mistakes in dangerous areas of the pitch. Eventually asked to operate behind the striker after struggling for most of the match. (5/10)

Samir Nasri: He doesn't always look like he enjoys this kind of game, but curbed his attacking instincts to help Clichy on the left before being removed just before the hour mark. (6/10)

David Silva: As you would expect, the Spaniard rarely wasted possession of the ball, but was unable to make an impact in the final third of the pitch. (6/10)

Jesus Navas: The winger was another one who was forced to do a lot of his work facing his own goal. Always willing to track back to help Sagna, but struggled to enjoy much success going forward. (6/10)

Attack

Edin Dzeko: Tough night for the striker. Boateng won the physical battle between the pair, and chances were rare inside the box. (5/10)

Substitutes

James Milner: Asked to play alongside Fernandinho due to Toure's struggles in front of the back four. As ever, his energy helped City. (6/10)

Sergio Aguero: Kept on the bench for longer than most people expected, but almost snatched a draw late on when he poked wide. Forced to watch on as Bayern piled the pressure on City. (6/10)

Aleksandar Kolarov: Brought on to help Clichy on the left, but failed to close down Robben for the cross which eventually led to the winning goal. (5/10)