Erling Haaland scored his 27th goal of the season to help Man City produce one of the high-scoring football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. After 15 minutes, City took the lead, with Julian Alvarez sneaking in and firing home from a yard out after Erling Haaland’s shot had rebounded against the crossbar (15). When Nathan Ake released Ilkay Gundogan down the left, his ball into the center came off Phil Foden and fell to Haaland, who tapped home from close range (29). Haaland’s 27th goal of the season is more than Sergio Aguero scored in a single Premier League season while at Manchester City. As Philip Billing delivered a poor, aimless pass square across the ground from the touchline, City appeared to have put the game beyond Bournemouth. Foden seized on it, advanced towards Neto’s goal, and rolled the ball past the goalkeeper (45).
Rico Lewis threw in an excellent cross from the right that was cleared, but only as far as Foden, whose whipped pass in was hammered against Chris Mepham by Alvarez for an own goal (51). Jefferson Lerma met Jordan Zemura’s deflected cross to rifle in a late consolation for Bournemouth (83), who are 19th in the table, a point behind safety after wins for Leeds and West Ham earlier in the day.
Everything went according to plan for Pep Guardiola – at least in the first half. Bournemouth will take some solace from their second-half efforts, but City is back in the game. They scored after 15 minutes, with the play starting with a terrific challenge by Lewis, who began on the right side of City’s midfield for his 11th league appearance, to win the ball out near the touchline. Gundogan then sent it up to Foden, who was denied as he shaped to fire and instead worked the ball to Haaland. After the striker’s shot hit the underside of the crossbar, Alvarez was quickest on the rebound, firing in from a yard out.
The second goal was not far behind. As Bournemouth pressed forward, Ake regained control and set Gundogan free down the left. Jordan Zemura knocked Foden off the ball after he hit it into the center again. But, the defender’s intervention was in fruitless, as Haaland stole in and tapped in the loose ball to double City’s lead. The visitors were on a roll and had finished the game before the intermission. The third goal was entirely the fault of Bournemouth.
Billing failed to look up properly and sent a sloppy, aimless pass square across the pitch from the touchline that was seized upon by Foden, alert to the chance, leaving him with the simple task of advancing on Neto’s goal and rolling the ball past the goalie. The Cherries were disintegrating, and their chances of keeping the score respectable were dashed five minutes into the second half. Lewis sent in a nice cross from the right that was cleared only as far as Foden, whose whipped ball in was hammered against Mepham for an own goal by Alvarez.
For their pains, the hosts fought valiantly to score a goal, a goalmouth scramble midway through the second half resulting in a VAR check for handball that did not result in a penalty. City, on the other hand, was not in the mood to offer compassion, and the onslaught continued as Bournemouth was exhausted. Riyad Mahrez came off the bench and resumed where Jack Grealish had left off. The England midfielder delivered another fantastic performance as he established himself as a regular starter for City. Lerma’s goal blasted into the roof of the net after a smooth first touch, giving the cold home crowd something to cheer about, but it did little to dampen City’s day.
“Given the number of games and the amount of travel, we played quite aggressively. Our onslaught was more dynamic, and we were successful. Rico Lewis, his quality and knowledge have helped me a lot since he came in and made his debut. He is an outstanding player. We are thrilled to have him, a product of our academy.” Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola said. “He is unusual in his ability to travel in small places and play in pockets that we require. He’s quite good at it. Erling Haaland has had a tremendous impact. We adore him and rely on him for assistance; yet, we have discovered him to be a significant menace. We require Phil [Fodenwork ]’s ethics, goals, and assists. He will return gradually.”
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