Manchester City got the defence of their Premier League title underway on Sunday with a closely-fought 2-0 win at Newcastle United.

The champions took the lead with 38 minutes played when David Silva linked with Edin Dzeko before firing low past Tim Krul.

City then made sure of the points in injury time as Sergio Aguero came off the bench to find the net with a composed finish.

Having followed the action at St James' Park, Sports Mole assesses the individual performances of the players involved.

Goal

Tim Krul: Despite Manchester City going on to win the match, Krul had little to do in the Newcastle goal for the majority of the afternoon. (7/10)

Defence

Daryl Janmaat: Gave flashes of what he is capable with some dogged defending and impressive stamina, but the Dutchman could have offered his team more going forward. (7/10)

Mike Williamson: Did well alongside Fabricio Coloccini in the heart of the Newcastle defence, making a good effort to give the City forwards as little room as possible. (7/10)

Fabricio Coloccini: Organised his defence like a captain should while focusing on his own responsibilities. Helped to stifle the City forward line for much of the afternoon. (8/10)

Paul Dummett: The youngster put in a composed performance, but his main moment came when he headed over the crossbar after Joe Hart had failed to gather a cross. Should have done better with such a chance. (7/10)

Midfield

Remy Cabella: Dazzled out wide for the home side, constantly running at the City defence and giving them plenty to think about. Is likely to become a popular figure on Tyneside for his flamboyant style of football. (8/10)

Vurnon Anita: Did not do a great deal in midfield for the hour or so that he was on the pitch before being replaced by Gabriel Obertan. (6/10)

Jack Colback: Not a bad debut from the youngster as he made some dynamic runs from the centre of the park, but he will have to improve if he wants the Newcastle fans on his side. (7/10)

Moussa Sissoko: Linked well with those ahead of him, providing them with some decent passes into feet. However, he drifted out of the match the longer that it went on. (7/10)

Yoan Gouffran: Looked slightly lost out wide, struggling to get involved in the often fast-paced nature of the contest. (7/10)

Attack

Emmanuel Riviere: The summer signing missed numerous opportunities throughout, firing wide on more than one occasion with some speculative efforts. Not a great start to his Magpies career. (6/10)

Substitutes

Gabriel Obertan: Had little influence on the match when he was introduced off the bench with just over an hour played. (6/10)

Rolando Aarons: Showed plenty of vim and vigour following his arrival on the pitch, giving the Newcastle attack an injection of urgency. (8/10)

Ayoze Perez: Almost scored within seconds of coming on. Looked like an exciting talent that could impress at St James' Park. (7/10)

Man City

Goal

Joe Hart: Almost cost his side a goal when he failed to gather a cross in the second half, though the shot-stopper had an otherwise uneventful afternoon between the sticks. (7/10)

Defence

Gael Clichy: Despite being deployed on the right side of defence, the Frenchman was a solid presence at full-back for the champions. (7/10)

Vincent Kompany: The City captain still looks some way off full fitness, though he put in a typically-commanding performance in the centre of the defence. (7/10)

Martin Demichelis: The bulky Argentine often struggled against the zip of Newcastle's attack, but his positional awareness made up for it. (7/10)

Aleksandar Kolarov: City's left-back gave his team an important outlet down the wing, pushing forward frequently to help the visitors in attack. (8/10)

Midfield

Samir Nasri: You would have thought that Nasri would have been full of beans considering that he has had nothing to do all summer, though this was a surprisingly sluggish display from the Frenchman. (7/10)

Fernando: Not a Premier League debut to remember. The summer signing exerted very little influence in what is a key area for City. (6/10)

Yaya Toure: The Ivorian made some of his trademark runs from deep, but he often found it difficult to create space in what was a crowded midfield area. (7/10)

David Silva: City's talisman on the day, Silva pulled all of the strings for his team in that position behind the strikers. (9/10)

Attack

Edin Dzeko: Linked well with Silva in the build-up to his team's opening goal. However, he failed to give the Newcastle defence too many problems. (7/10)

Stevan Jovetic: Following a promising summer for Jovetic, the striker was underwhelming for the champions. (6/10)

Substitutes

James Milner: Came on to provide City with some mettle in midfield. Did just that. (6/10)

Fernandinho: With the chance to show Manuel Pellegrini why he should be in the team ahead of Fernando, this was a forgettable cameo from the Brazilian international. (6/10)

Sergio Aguero: Let everyone know why he remains one of the best strikers in the Premier League by finishing with aplomb to hand City the win. (8/10)