On a brisk Sunday evening at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City delivered a potent display of attacking football to claim a 3-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League.
With two first-half strikes from Erling Haaland and a well-timed third from Nico O’Reilly, City moved up to second in the table, applying pressure on the league leaders.
Bournemouth, who had been riding high on an unbeaten run, were forced to recalibrate as they dropped off the pace in an afternoon where City’s fluidity and incisiveness proved decisive. Despite a brief lifeline when Tyler Adams converted after a goalkeeper error, the hosts responded swiftly and showed their class under pressure.
After an opening flicker of nervousness, Manchester City took control in the 17th minute through Haaland. O’Reilly’s pass split the Bournemouth defence and the Norwegian striker made no mistake, drilling home to give the hosts the lead.
From then on, City sought to dominate possession and probe the wider channels, forcing Bournemouth to defend deeply and shift their structure. Yet it was Bournemouth who levelled the score just eight minutes later.
A corner led to an error from City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Adams pounced to make it 1-1, injecting fresh hope into the visitors.
Nonetheless, City steadied the ship. In the 33rd minute, Haaland struck again. Once more he was the beneficiary of good build-up play and a pass that unlocked Bournemouth’s defensive lines.
That second goal restored the hosts’ dominance and gave them momentum heading into the break.
The second half saw City pick up where they left off. Bournemouth attempted to respond and re-organise, but the momentum lay firmly with the home side. For Bournemouth, the challenge was two-fold: to shut down Haaland, and to re-ignite their own attacking spark which had served them so well early on this season.
But in the 60th minute, City delivered the killer blow: O’Reilly—still only young—got forward and supplied the decisive pass, enabling him to convert and make it 3-1.
Once ahead by two, City did not merely sit back. They continued to press, rotate, and exploit the spaces behind Bournemouth’s pressing structure. The visitors, by contrast, looked toothless in attack after their equaliser and increasingly vulnerable at the back.
Their full-backs were drawn out by City’s wide play, and Haaland’s presence created constant problems.
There were moments of danger for City too. Bournemouth forced the champions to defend smartly, especially on the transition, but the home side’s defensive shape held firm.
City’s centre-back pairing and midfield shield cut off the supply lines, while the front three and wide players kept Bournemouth guessing. In contrast, Bournemouth looked to late changes and shifts in personnel to try and salvage something, but the spark simply did not come.
As the final whistle approached, Haaland was substituted in the final ten minutes to applause and chants, having fulfilled his role for the day. He finishes the season so far with 13 goals in ten league appearances.
The result moves Manchester City closer to the summit of the table and gives them fresh impetus in the title race; Bournemouth’s previously unbeaten streak in the league comes to an end, and their challenge for Europe will need recalibrating.
This match underlined a couple of key truths for both sides. For City, when they click they are still among the sharpest attacking units in Europe: movement off the ball, quick transitions, intelligent pressing, and the clinical finish that Haaland brings.