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HAALAND MASTERCLASS: MANCHESTER CITY PLAYER RATINGS AFTER BOURNEMOUTH VICTORY

Erling Haaland's clinical brace fired Manchester City to a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth. The win closes the gap on Arsenal to six points, with Rayan Cherki providing two assists and Nico O'Reilly adding a late sealer at the Etihad.

Haaland Masterclass: Manchester City Player Ratings After Bournemouth Victory
The shining stars for Man City on the night. / Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Manchester City moved six points behind Arsenal after defeating Bournemouth in the penultimate match of the Premier League week on Sunday.

Because both teams thought they could win the game that evening, the first half was a cagey, tough contest. Erling Haaland, however, was on one side exclusively. After failing to score against Aston Villa last weekend, the Norwegian was clinical in front of goal.

Rayan Cherki broke through the Cherries defense once more to give Haaland his second goal of the night, but Tyler Adams scored his first Premier League goal to keep them in the match.

This is only the second defeat for Bournemouth in ten games this season. The gifted attackers for the Cherries were largely restricted to half-chances by the Man City defense.

Erling Haaland was the player of the match.


In the game, Man City aimed to maintain the momentum from their Carabao Cup victory over Swansea in the middle of the week. A fierce, well-coached Bournemouth team led by Andoni Iraola stood in their way.

In a clinical manner, Haaland opened the score in the seventeenth minute. As Haaland rushed toward the Bournemouth goal, Cherki did a good job of putting the Norwegian away from just inside their own half. He hit Petrovic with a vicious blow without error.

However, the hosts' lead was short-lived. Tyler Adams gave the Cherries the equalizer from a corner. The rebound went to the American international after Donnarumma was unable to handle a risky ball from Alex Scott. Referee Anthony Taylor was protested by Man City players for a foul, but VAR checked and ruled it out. The American scored his first Premier League goal.

Despite the excellent efforts from the corner, Haaland was unable to be contained. Haaland was on his way again after Cherki's wonderful pass around the corner, and he rounded an approaching Petrovic to score a brace.

In the 60th minute, Nico O'Reilly scored a third goal to end the match. Haaland was replaced by Omar Marmoush in the 82nd minute, therefore he was unable to finish his hat trick. Overall, it is his 15th time being sent off with a brace, but he is also scored twice in his last four home games.

Rodri's comeback late in the game was encouraging. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner made his first appearance since suffering an injury against Brentford earlier in the season with a brief appearance in stoppage time.

Man City now trails Arsenal by six points in the league standings as a result. After that, they will play Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League before taking on Liverpool.

Player Ratings 


GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—6.7: Bournemouth's lone goal of the night should have been scored with a stronger effort on the corner.

RB: Matheus Nunes—7.7: Did a good job and spent the majority of the evening battling Semenyo and Adrien Truffert.

CB: Rúben Dias—6.9: The Portuguese appeared to be developing some steady form and were strong at the back.

CB: Gvardiol Joško—6.9: won four of his six duels and made some impressive tackles.

Nico O'Reilly, LB—8.3: He will be pleased to have scored his first goal of the season, even though he probably should have had two goals that evening.

DM: Nico González—7.7: Aware that there will be more competition for spots now that Rodri is back, the Spaniard put on another impressive performance.

DM: Bernardo Silva—6.8: The Portuguese will have a more peaceful evening. Sometimes in and out of the game.

RW: Haaland scored both of his goals in the first half thanks to Rayan Cherki—8.6: The creative spark.

AM: Phil Foden—8.0: On his 200th league game for the Cityzens, he played an accurate and active center creative role.

LW: Jérémy Doku—7.4: Created the most chances (4) and finished the most dribbles (5) of any player.

ST: Erling Haaland—9.1: After going blank in the Premier League the previous time out, he scored two clinical goals.

MAN CITY TARGETS FOREST MIDFIELDER ELLIOT ANDERSON IN TRANSFER RAID

Manchester City is reportedly interested in signing Nottingham Forest's dynamic midfielder Elliot Anderson next year. The 23-year-old would add quality to Guardiola's midfield.

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Man City Prepares Bid for Elliot Anderson Next Year

According to a recent report in The Daily Mail, Manchester City is interested in Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson. Word is, the Manchester club might try to bring the English player to Etihad Stadium next year.

Anderson is playing well this season, putting up some nice performances for Nottingham in the middle of the field. So far, the 23-year-old has one goal and one assist in 16 games for the club in all competitions.

He has done a good job protecting the defence, with 33 tackles, 20 blocks, 12 interceptions, and 12 clearances in the Premier League. He has also been accurate with his passing, completing 83.2% of his passes in the league (stats via fbref.com).

His contract with Nottingham Forest runs through the summer of 2029, so Man City will need to make a good offer if they really want to sign him next year.

Is Anderson a Smart Move for Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola?

Anderson has a lot of energy in the midfield. He likes to tackle and can make important interceptions.

He will also clear the ball when needed. Anderson mainly plays as a box-to-box midfielder, but he can also play as a number ten or as a left-winger. With his Premier League experience, he should not need much time to settle in at Man City.

Anderson would definitely add quality to Guardiola’s midfield. He has the potential to compete for a starting spot at the Etihad Stadium in the years to come.

At 23, Anderson’s best years are ahead of him, making him a solid choice for Man City in the future. He is already good enough to help them compete on all fronts. Guardiola should seriously consider trying to sign him this winter or at the end of the season.

PEP GUARDIOLA EXPLAINS WHY FARKE WAS 'RILED' BY CITY'S TACTIC

Pep Guardiola admitted he was "relieved" after Phil Foden's stoppage-time winner saved Man City from a Leeds United comeback. The boss analysed the emotional rollercoaster at the Etihad.

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Guardiola Details Change That Riled Farke After Chaotic Win

Manchester City's coach saw his team grab a late win after Leeds United's impressive comeback in the second half.

Pep Guardiola said he was relieved because his Manchester City team responded well to win after Leeds United came back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game at the Etihad.

Leeds was down 2-0 at halftime. Daniel Farke switched up his formation, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin's entrance gave Leeds a stronger presence up front. Calvert-Lewin scored and then earned a penalty, which Lukas Nmecha converted to level the score. But Phil Foden scored in the 91st minute, breaking Leeds' hearts and securing the points for Manchester City.

"I was relieved," Guardiola said. The game wasn't perfect in the second half. It should have been over already, given the chances we had. Daniel changed the system. We gave a goal away. The way we move has to change. At that point, emotions are high. We let in a second goal, but we responded well. We put more players in the box. In the end, Phil's quality made the difference again, helping us win.

Guardiola mentioned Calvert-Lewin's goal, which came in the 49th minute, and the game, as well as how the forward's presence impacted the game. We gave up a goal quickly, he said. Football is about emotions. When Calvert-Lewin plays with Nmecha, it's two against two, and the space is totally different.

The Manchester City coach was also questioned about an incident in the second half when Gianluigi Donnarumma went down and needed treatment for an injury. Guardiola immediately called all of his outfield players for a quick talk. Leeds was in control at that moment, and Farke questioned whether it was fair, even if he didn't want to criticise Guardiola.

To be honest, I didn't speak with Gianluigi Donnarumma, Guardiola said. I told James Trafford to warm up. I honestly don't know what happened. You can ask me next time; I'll ask Donnarumma if he was injured.

I'd love to have a timeout every time. I'm sure if we do that again, the Premier League will fine us again, so it's best if we don't.

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