Erling Haaland continued his outrageous goalscoring form with a brace and Nico O’Reilly powered in his first of the season as Manchester City beat AFC Bournemouth 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland and Rayan Cherki appear to have developed a rapid connection as the latter assisted both of the former’s goals on Sunday.
Tyler Adams equalised for the energetic Bournemouth after Haaland’s clinical opener, however the visitors were no match for the relentless Cityzens.
Although Bournemouth edged the possession statistic at the Etihad, the away side’s ambitious high line allowed City in behind on a few too many occasions.
Andoni Iraola deserves credit for his bravery, though the visit to the Etihad proved a task too tough for The Cherries, still yet to claim a point in the blue half of Manchester in the Premier League era.
Haaland, who hit the famous Peter Crouch robot celebration after his first, profited from Bournemouth’s approach for both of his goals. And he could have had a first club hat-trick of the season if it was not for a fine save from Djordje Petrovic.
Arsenal remain well ahead at the summit of the table with 25 points from 10 games but this win keeps Pep Guardiola’s side in touching distance, just about. The gap is now six points, while Bournemouth drop to fourth in the table thanks to their electric start.
BBC