Rodwell made his Manchester City debut on 19 August 2012, in a 3–2 win at home to Southampton. He made his away debut on 26 August 2012, coming on as a second-half substitute against Liverpool at Anfield in a 2–2 draw. Rodwell made his UEFA Champions League debut, starting a match and played 56 minutes, in a 1–1 draw against Borussia Dortmund on 3 October 2012. After being out due to injury since October, Rodwell made a successful return to the team on 26 January 2013 in a 1–0 win away to Stoke City in the FA Cup. After appearing a total of four matches for the next two months, he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of a sidelined for two months. After two months out, Rodwell returned to the first team, coming on as an 85th-minute substitute, in a 0–0 draw against Swansea City on 4 May 2013. He then came on as a 69th-minute substitute in the FA Cup Final against Wigan Athletic, as Manchester City lost 1–0. On the final day of the 2012–13 season, Rodwell scored both of Manchester City's goals in a 3–2 home defeat to Norwich City, his first goals for the club. At the end of the season, he went on to make fifteen appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.