Erling Haaland scintillating, £26m star flops – Man City’s three winners and three losers vs Bournemouth
Erling Haaland continued his sensational start to the season as Man City swept aside Bournemouth to return to winning ways in the Premier League
Man City bounced back from their 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa to move up to second in the Premier League table, six points behind leaders Arsenal.
Haaland scored two first half goals alongside a Nico O’Reilly strike to give Pep Guardiola’s side a 3-1 win.
Below are the three winners and three losers from the victory.
Winners
Erling Haaland
Man City’s main man was back in scintillating form after failing to score in Man City’s 1-0 loss at Aston Villa.
Haaland coolly slotted home both finishes when one-on-one with the goalkeeper, with little doubt he would miss.
The Norwegian exploited the space Bournemouth left behind their back four with his explosive pace, which caused the Cherries problems all match.
Rayan Cherki
Rayan Cherki starred for Man City against Swansea, and the 22-year-old was handed just his third start for the club following injury.
The Frenchman showed his creating flair with a dazzling display, where he created the most big chances of any player.
| Minutes Played | 73 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Big Chances Created | 2 |
| Shots | 3 |
The return of Cherki from injury adds another dimension and another threat in the Man City team, which can only benefit Guardiola.
Nico O’Reilly
Starting for the first time in three matches, O’Reilly took his opportunity with a fine low strike in the second period to seal all three points.
The 20-year-old could have had another goal from defence as he missed one big chance in the match.
Most importantly though O’Reilly was solid in his work defensively giving Marcus Tavernier no opportunity to create chances for Bournemouth down their right flank.
Losers
Gianluigi Donnarumma
The goalkeeper was at fault for the Bournemouth equaliser when he failed to take charge of a set-piece situation.
Gianluigi Donnarumma came out to punch clear a corner., but was left in no mans land for Tyler Adams to pass into an empty net.
It was a rare mistake by the Italian since his arrival at the club, but costly errors may just give James Trafford hope of reclaiming the number one jersey.
Omar Marmoush
The striker will find it hard to have a look into Man City’s starting XI with the form Haaland is currently in.
Omar Marmoush has always looked lively and a threat whenever he appears for Man City, but the 26-year-old had to wait until the 82nd minute before being introduced.
If Marmoush continues to sit on the bench then Guardiola may have a player wanting to leave the club in the next transfer window.
Bernardo Silva
The Man City captain was playing in central midfield amid the injury to Rodri, but it is clear that the 31-year-old is not a solution to the problem.
Whilst neat and tidy in possession, Bernardo Silva lacks the defensive awareness to track runners and make important challenges.
Rodri is simply irreplaceable in this Man City team, and his return to the squad was a welcome boost.