City 2 – 1 Bournemouth

Man City returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium yesterday. Erling Haaland returned to his goalscoring best with a brace and Nico O’Reilly sealed the win with a goal in the second half. Bournemouth’s goal came from Tyler Adams.

Nico O’Reilly, Jeremy Doku, Nico Gonzalez were some of the changes from City’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa last week and Rayan Cherki was handed a second consecutive start after also starting against Swansea in the EFL Cup in midweek. For Bournemouth, Bafode Diakite and David Brooks were the two changes from last week’s win over Nottingham Forest, they replaced Justin Kluivert and young Veljko Milosavljević in the starting eleven.

From minute 1, the match was immediately set to a frantic pace, delivering an early scare for the home crowd at the Etihad. Bournemouth, demonstrating an aggressive start, found the net within the opening minute when Eli Junior Kroupi bundled a cross home. The goal was however correctly disallowed for offside, a moment that served as a necessary wake-up call for the champions.

City quickly increased their pressure, though Bournemouth’s defensive resolve was immediately evident. This was showcased in the 13th minute when center-back Marcos Senesi executed a brilliant sliding tackle to deny Erling Haaland a clear path to goal, blocking the Norwegian’s shot.

However, the breakthrough arrived in the 17th minute, orchestrated by Rayan Cherki. Cherki’s perfectly weighted header released Haaland one-on-one with Djordje Petrovic, and the Norwegian slotted the ball calmly home to put City ahead for 1-0.

The lead, however, was surprisingly short-lived, exposing a set-piece vulnerability in the City defence. Just eight minutes later, an Alex Scott corner led to chaos after goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma mishandled the delivery. Tyler Adams reacted quickest to volley the loose ball home from close range, leveling the score at 1-1 in the 25th minute.

City responded with fierce determination. Rayan Cherki was again the catalyst, delivering a defence-splitting through ball in the 33rd minute that once more found Haaland in motion. The striker expertly rounded Petrovic before securing his brace and restoring City’s lead to 2-1.

Despite the two goals, Bournemouth’s defense remained active throughout the rest of the half. In the 36th minute, Petrovic pulled off a vital save to deny Haaland a close-range effort, preventing a potential first-half hat-trick. Earlier, Cherki had a blocked shot in the 27th minute after a move with Doku. As the half drew to a close, Phil Foden earned a yellow card in the 45th minute for a foul on Álex Jiménez, reflecting the growing tension. Right on the stroke of halftime, Cherki’s curling shot was saved by Petrovic, ensuring the score remained 2-1 at the whistle.

The second half opened with Bournemouth pushing aggressively for another equalizer, demonstrating a strong spell of pressure that forced Donnarumma into a sequence of critical saves. In the 48th minute, the City keeper saved a long-range attempt from Antoine Semenyo. Their best chances arrived in the 53rd minute when a well-executed team move saw Eli Junior Kroupi unleash a strike, forcing Donnarumma to produce a spectacular save. Again in the 59th minute, David Brooks tested the keeper from outside the box, confirming Bournemouth’s strong intent during this period.

The decisive blow arrived in the 60th minute, somewhat against the run of play. Nico O’Reilly, operating from left-back, drove into space, received the ball from Phil Foden, and fired a low shot that threaded through a defender’s legs and into the bottom corner for the 3-1 goal.

This immediately prompted a triple substitution from the Bournemouth bench in the 62nd minute, Lewis Cook, Evanilson, and Justin Kluivert replaced Álex Jiménez, Eli Kroupi, and David Brooks, respectively, seeking fresh attacking impetus. City responded with substitutions of their own in the 72nd minute, bringing on Savinho for Jérémy Doku and Tijjani Reijnders for the instrumental Cherki. Cherki, who delivered two assists, made way, having been key to two of the team’s three goals. Earlier, Adrien Truffert received a yellow card for pulling back Foden in the 64th minute, and Cherki had a wayward shot in the 66th minute, curling just over the bar.

As the match entered its final phase, Bournemouth’s search for a consolation continued, with Marcus Tavernier managing a near miss in the 70th minute, failing to make good contact on a cross inside the box. Following further substitutions, including Omar Marmoush replacing goalscorer Haaland in the 81st minute, the game trudged to a finish.

Bournemouth’s Evanilson nearly scored from a corner in the 86th minute, forcing Donnarumma to collect the loose ball, which was quickly followed by a yellow card for Justin Kluivert for preventing the goalkeeper from kicking the ball long. In the 90th minute, City brought on Rodri, who was returning from injury, and Aït-Nouri for Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden.

The final action came in the 94th minute when Tijjani Reijnders unleashed a fierce shot at the Bournemouth goal, but Petrovic ensured the scoreline remained 3-1 by parrying the shot away, bringing an end to an entertaining contest where City’s clinical finishing in the moments that mattered proved decisive.