Not just Erling Haaland, Leon Osman blown away by ‘wonderful’ Man City player vs Bournemouth
Erling Haaland ran riot as Manchester City secured a priceless victory over Bournemouth, but it wasn’t just the Norwegian who impressed.
After Arsenal beat Burnley 2-0, Man City knew they had to claim three points against Bournemouth, who travelled to the Etihad Stadium in second position.
Their quest to close the gap on the Gunners started brilliantly when Haaland opened the scoring in the 17th minute; however, their joy was short-lived when a Gianluigi Donnarumma error saw Tyler Adams capitalise from close range.
But Bournemouth, who played a high line against Man City, were always going to get caught in behind, and when Haaland blitzed past their defence, there was only ever one outcome.
In the second half, the Cherries continued to threaten on the counterattack, though their hopes of a comeback were shut down when Nico O’Reilly swept the ball past Dorde Petrovic.
Leon Osman wowed by Nico O’Reilly vs Bournemouth
Haaland stole the headlines once more with a stunning performance, but teammate O’Reilly was also worthy of praise after scoring his first of the campaign.
Stefan Borson was blown away by O’Reilly ahead of City’s clash against Bournemouth, while former Everton midfielder Leon Osman reserved adulation for the 20-year-old.
Speaking about his cultured left-footed finish, Osman told the Premier League: “It’s a wonderful finish from a player who has gotten into such good positions offensively today.
“He comes into a wonderful pocket of space, once he gets there, does he pick out his number 9, or fancy his chances himself? Good belief in himself, hits it hard. His manager is delighted!”
O’Reilly is one of several options at Pep Guardiola’s disposal in the left-back role, including Rayan Ait-Nouri and Josko Gvardiol.
But the Manchester-born starlet has proven why he can hold his own this term, despite being the youngest of the three.
O’Reilly’s stats vs Bournemouth
O’Reilly was called up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad in October, and ahead of the November international break, the exciting talent will fancy his chances of being selected once more.
The 2005-born star will have impressed Tuchel with his all-round game, most notably his lung-bursting runs and fine finish.
| Nico O’Reilly stats vs Bournemouth |
| 95 minutes played |
| 28/34 accurate passes (82%) |
| 3 crosses |
| 2/2 successful dribbles |
| 6 clearances |
| 2/3 ground duels won |
| 2 shots |
But it wasn’t just going forward where O’Reilly deserved plaudits, as he was near faultless defensively, winning two of his three ground duels and making six clearances.
That is why he’s one of the most highly-rated defenders in the Premier League.