It was a cushty afternoon ultimately for Pep Guardiola’s Metropolis aspect…
Manchester Metropolis returned to successful methods on Sunday with a 3-1 win over Bournemouth, as Erling Haaland continued his prolific begin to the season with one other double.
The outcome noticed Pep Guardiola’s aspect leapfrog their opponents into second place within the Premier League, slicing Arsenal’s lead on the high to 6 factors.
The match started at a frantic tempo, with Bournemouth briefly considering that they had taken the lead contained in the opening minute when Eli Junior Kroupi bundled the ball house, just for the flag to go up for offside.
That early warning sparked Metropolis into life, and after a number of half probabilities for Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku, the breakthrough arrived within the seventeenth minute.
A defensive clearance from Ruben Dias was flicked on by Rayan Cherki, whose cushioned header over the midway line launched Haaland into house.
The Norwegian striker raced away from the backline and calmly slotted previous Djordje Petrovic to make it 1-0, taking his Premier League tally to 12 for the marketing campaign.
Bournemouth responded, although, urgent excessive and seeking to exploit Metropolis’s occasional lapses in focus.
Their persistence paid off simply eight minutes later when Alex Scott’s nook precipitated chaos within the field. Gianluigi Donnarumma didn’t cope with the supply, and Tyler Adams reacted quickest to volley house from shut vary for his first aim in English soccer.
Parity, nevertheless, lasted lower than 10 minutes. Cherki, who was instrumental all through the primary half, as soon as once more turned supplier within the thirty third minute.
His fast first-time go slipped Haaland by means of on aim, and Metropolis’s quantity 9 rounded Petrovic earlier than ending from a decent angle to revive the lead.
It was Haaland’s fourth consecutive house recreation with at the very least two objectives, inserting him alongside Luis Suarez and Robbie Fowler in Premier League historical past.
Metropolis may have prolonged their benefit earlier than the break, with Doku and Foden each going shut and O’Reilly having a shot cleared off the road by Alex Jimenez.
On the different finish, Donnarumma was pressured into a pointy save from Antoine Semenyo, however the champions went into half-time forward and in management.
Cruising within the second half
Bournemouth confirmed intent early within the second half, creating probabilities by means of Brooks and Kroupi, each of whom pressured Donnarumma into motion.
But Metropolis weathered the strain and struck decisively on the hour mark. On his 2 hundredth Premier League look, Foden arrange academy graduate Nico O’Reilly, who surged into the field earlier than driving a low shot into the underside nook to make it 3-1.
That aim successfully sealed the factors, although Bournemouth refused to surrender. Tavernier and substitute Justin Kluivert each examined the Metropolis defence late on, however Josko Gvardiol’s well timed blocks and Donnarumma’s assured dealing with preserved the two-goal cushion.
Guardiola used the closing levels to handle minutes, bringing on Rodri for his first look since coming back from harm and handing Savinho and Reijnders transient cameos.
Haaland, denied the possibility for a hat-trick, made option to a standing ovation after one other medical show.