- Phil Foden scored City’s only goal as they beat Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
- The win sees Manchester City move to within one point of Premier League leaders Liverpool in the table.
- The Cherries are still eight points clear of the bottom three despite the slip to 14th place. However, the Cherries have now lost seven straight league games.
Phil Foden scored City’s only goal as they beat Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
The win sees Manchester City move to within one point of Premier League leaders Liverpool in the table.
The Cherries are still eight points clear of the bottom three despite the slip to 14th place. However, the Cherries have now lost seven straight league games.
In the ninth minute of the match, Foden released Erling Haaland, who sprinted towards goal but could only shoot wide of the post, allowing Man City to take the lead.
After two minutes, Bournemouth attempted to score with a strike from Milos Kerkez, but Ederson, the goalkeeper for Man City, made a wise stop.
Although Bournemouth’s high press against the champions was entertaining to witness, Man City seemed the more probable team throughout the match. In the 19th minute, Foden forced a wise stop from Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto.
In the 24th minute of the match, Man City took the lead thanks to a close-range shot from Foden, after Neto’s save of a Haaland effort.
Phil Foden Photo/ SNL24
In the next minute, Foden attempted to score with a free kick, but the ball flew over the Bournemouth crossbar after Bernardo Silva had bent one wide of the post.
Ederson had to block a Ryan Christie shot as Bournemouth ended the half well, but Foden’s goal after the first forty-five minutes proved to be the difference.
In the 53rd minute, Justin Kluivert gave the home team a half-chance, but Ederson easily stopped the Dutchman’s shot.
With Antoine Semenyo’s exquisite cross reaching Marcus Tavernier inside the penalty box, Bournemouth had a better chance in the 56th minute. However, Tavernier’s strike went into the ground, giving Ederson an easy task.
From a star-studded bench, Guardiola had had enough, and Jeremy Doku was the first to receive the call, but it did not have the intended outcome.
In the 67th minute, Solanke had the best opportunity of the game when Tavernier’s inswinging corner reached him, but Ederson clawed the header away on the goal line, and Rodri stopped Kerkez’s follow-up attempt.
In the 72nd minute, Haaland attempted a header that Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto had to save, but Foden continued to make an impact with another outstanding display from the England international.
In the 75th minute, after the Norway international had charged into the Bournemouth penalty box, Neto made another excellent save to stop a shot from Haaland.
Shortly after Neto’s close-range save of the Norway international, fireworks were let off outside the stadium, and with just 15 minutes remaining, Haaland was replaced by an increasingly irate Guardiola.
Dango Ouattara narrowly missed the goal with a low shot in the 85th minute, while Enes Unal nodded wide of Ederson’s goal in the 90th minute as the home team pushed for a late equalizer.
Manchester City beat Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium. Photo/ Info CenterPoint
In the six extra minutes played at the Vitality Stadium, Man City secured a crucial three points to advance in their championship challenge, while Bournemouth was unable to find a way to tie the score.
Pep Guardiola’s team wasn’t playing at their best on the south coast as they attempted an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League crown, but they showed the tenacity needed to grind out an important win.
On Wednesday, Manchester City plays their fifth-round FA Cup match against Luton. The following weekend, they visit Manchester United in a crucial Premier League match. Bournemouth, meanwhile, will be looking to avenge the loss when they play Championship leaders Leicester City in the same competition on the same night.
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