Erling Haaland Scores Twice As Man City Rout Bournemouth

 

Manchester City returned to Etihad Stadium to regain winning form in the Premier League by beating Bournemouth 3-1 as Erling Haaland led the way to victory with a brace. 

Last week, City lost their previous game on the road to Aston Villa, but they made up for the loss by defeating Swansea to progress to the last 16 of the EFL Carabao Cup. At Etihad, Bournemouth was carefully taken down as the hosts broke through the center to devastate their defense. 

Haaland opened the scoring following a lob from Rayan Cherki. The striker had done a one-two ball with Cherki before he reached for the cross that set him off, latching onto the box and striking the ball past Djordje Petrovic in the 17th minute. The Cherries restored level terms as Tyler Adams tapped in a poorly saved shot from Donnarumma following a corner.

City's second goal followed 16 minutes later, as Cherki lobbed a pass to Haaland in the center and the striker darted into the opponents' box, rounding Petrovic before slotting the ball into the net. After the interval, City extended its lead with the third goal, as Bernardo Silva facilitated a build-up, leading to Phil Foden's pass that set off Nico O'Reilly to blast the ball home from the edge of the box.

The victory lifted City to the second position in the table as Bournemouth dropped to fourth. The Cherries had been unbeaten in their previous seven Premier League games.

Overview 

The first half was shared between the sides in terms of possessions. Bournemouth was caught off guard in similar ways in the build-up to both goals, and Haaland effectively capitalized on the break to score the brace in the first interval. 

In this game, City did not exploit the wings that much. Rather, they found scoring chances through the center, which their opponents carelessly played Haaland onside, giving him the advantage on the break into their 18-yard box. There was a good understanding between the striker and Cherki, leading to two assists from the winger. 

Bournemouth maintained their formation in the second half, but they did not fix the loophole in the defense. O'Reilly's goal resulted from the flop as he was unmarked, allowing him to burrow into scoring range.