There are those who rather stupidly say that Pep Guardiola has ruined football and then there are those who open their eyes to watch Erling Haaland play and realise they would pay to watch him all on his own.
Haaland – Guardiola’s extraordinary centre forward – did not win this game for Manchester City by himself. But he did bring it much of its joy and its wonder, rampaging through the middle like a bull in a blonde wig, turning possibilities into certainties and adding two more goals to a season’s tally that now stands at 26 for club and country. A reminder here that it is only the start of November.
So this was another bravura performance from City’s striker and a victory that takes his team not exactly on to Arsenal’s shoulder in second place but at least close enough for their presence to be definitively felt. If anybody thinks Arsenal’s first Premier League title since the great days of Arsene Wenger will be won without inconvenience, they are likely to be very wrong indeed.
Bournemouth were game opposition at the Etihad. When are they not?
Andoni Iraola’s admirable and brave side don’t get knocked over often these days and when they do, they tend to die with their boots on. That’s how it was here.
Bournemouth – for whom captain David Brooks was excellent – worried City all afternoon when they had the ball. They were ambitious and clever and nimble and had opportunities throughout.
Erling Haaland continued his fine form with another brace as Man City beat Bournemouth 3-1
After his first goal, which came after some stunning play, he whipped out the robot celebration
But out of possession, they were not quite good enough. Too square and too flat footed and all of that too often. Haaland made them pay twice for that in the first half and there were a couple of other squeaks also. Lessons to be learned there, perhaps.
This, though, was a story of a club and a team that continues to emerge quietly and purposefully from the difficulties of last season. This is a different City team in both personnel and style but some familiarities remain and the most obvious of those comes in the shape of the chap who scores most of the goals.
City’s recent return to prominence had been halted rather by defeat at Aston Villa last time out and there does remain something vaguely unpredictable about them. Guardiola tends to be kept awake at night by things like that.
Here they looked a little different as Guardiola made four changes and, though they found firm ground soon enough, were actually rather fortunate not to be behind within a minute.
Bournemouth shifted the ball through midfield and out to the overlapping Brooks and his low cross from the right was turned in by Eli Junior Kroupi. It would have been the teenage Frenchman’s fifth goal of the season but he had been offside even as Brooks took possession and had not sufficiently adjusted his position by the time the ball arrived.
So Bournemouth were denied but their intent was clear. As a result the Etihad was alive to possibility and for a quarter of an hour there was some entertaining sparring. The football was end to end and both teams carried a threat. And then City scored a truly sumptuous Haaland goal.
The great Norwegian still had much to do when a clever Rayan Cherki header sent him clear. Indeed he was still in the centre circle when he took possession. But a confident Haaland is awe-inspiringly predictable and five touches later – the first with his head and the rest with his left foot – the ball was in the back of the Bournemouth net.
It was Haaland’s 14th City goal of the season and a warning to Bournemouth had been served. If they were going to try to squeeze City into the middle third of the field, they were going to have to get things right when their opponents sprang forwards.
Bournemouth were up for the fight at the Etihad but their defending let them down on the day
They equalised through Tyler Adams (No 12) after a rare error from Gianluigi Donnarumma
But Haaland put City back ahead before Nico O’Reilly scored a third in the second half
First, though, there was a Bournemouth equaliser. Brooks was definitely tugging on the arm of City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as a 25th minute corner was taken but had let go by the time the big Italian made a mess of his attempt to punch clear. As such Tyler Adams’ hooked finish from six yards was allowed to stand and it seemed the correct call by referee Anthony Taylor.
It was not a typical Bournemouth goal but another one for anti-set piece brigade to moan endlessly about. What really mattered was the scoreline and Bournemouth were back in the game.
Guardiola looked agitated on the touchline and with good reason. He could see Bournemouth’s dangerous patterns. But a theme was also developing when City had the ball and it was a one that was to do for Bournemouth three times before half-time.
Haaland ran clear to round Djordje Petrovic and score his second in the 33rd minute before Nico O’Reilly did likewise two minutes later only to be denied by a goal line clearance from Alex Jimenez. Then, in the 37th minute, Haaland eased away again and this time was denied by a pawing save from Petrovic as he tried to lift the ball over him.
Each time replays showed clear deficiencies in the Bournemouth defensive line, most glaringly the fact that it rarely seemed to be straight.
City threatened again just before half-time through a Cherki free-kick but had to survive a couple of close calls as Bournemouth sought to cancel out their lead early in the second period. With hindsight this proved to be the decisive period of the game.
Both times Kroupi was the player involved. He certainly should have done better than shoot into the side netting when Brooks pulled the ball back to him at the near post in the 51st minute and then, a couple of minutes later, he was denied by Donnarumma after another Brooks pass was helped on to him in the penalty area by Alex Scott.
They were both presentable chances and an equaliser at that stage would have presented us with a heck of a finish. But Bournemouth were soon regretting the outcomes as Phil Foden fed O’Reilly and the 20-year-old advanced towards a retreating defence to score low through a crowd of bodies with his left foot.
Iraola recognised the size of the task and acted immediately, sending on two goal scorers in Justin Kluivert and the Brazilian Evanilson.
But it had been Bournemouth’s defensive work that had presented them with the problem that now stood before them. Over the course of the afternoon, it had not been good enough.
