Bournemouth 1-4 Man City: Player ratings as Citizens run riot
By Tom Gott
Manchester City got back to winning ways with an emphatic 4-1 thumping of Bournemouth on Saturday evening.
The Cherries weren't particularly bad but were ran ragged by City's quality as goals from Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and a Chris Mepham own goal ensured Jefferson Lerma's late strike meant little.
City were overwhelmingly dominant in the early stages and they found themselves ahead 15 minutes in. Foden's run caused chaos and Haaland's strike hit the bar, but the rebound fell to the unmarked Alvarez who tapped home into an open net from a yard out.
Bournemouth weren't totally out of things and did grow into the game, although aside from a poor Jordan Zemura cross and a weak penalty shout from Dominic Solanke, they found it hard to cause real problems.
The Cherries' optimism was slashed further on the half-hour mark as Haaland tapped home his own goal, this time from a smart cut-back from Foden.
Despite the statistical dominance for City, Bournemouth weren't lying down and ensured the first half remained an open one. Adam Smith struck from range and Hamed Traore caused a scare with a tight-angle volley, but their profligacy was soon punished again.
Philip Billing's poor ball across his defence handed a gift to Foden, who steered past the remaining Bournemouth defender to fire home on the stroke of half-time.
The fourth came five minutes after the restart as Alvarez fired another rebound towards goal which was taken over the line by the unfortunate Chris Mepham.
Bournemouth pulled one back with ten minutes to go as Lerma fired home from inside the box - little more than a consolation but enough to maintain City's worries about not keeping clean sheets.
Jaidon Anthony caused a scare with a fierce strike in the dying embers but City had clearly stepped back, safe in the knowledge the three points were heading their way.
Bournemouth player ratings (5-4-1)
GK: Neto - 5/10 - Made a few nice saves but City's dominance ended up being too much.
RB: Adam Smith - 4/10 - Had a tough time up against Grealish.
CB: Jack Stephens - 4/10 - Run ragged by Haaland and Alvarez. Couldn't keep up with City at all.
CB: Chris Mepham - 5/10 - Unfortunate to end up with an own goal in what was a respectable individual showing.
CB: Marcos Senesi - 4/10 - A little chaotic as City's big numbers in attack took their toll.
LB: Jordan Zemura - 4/10 - A few great moments in attack but always seemed to be in the wrong place defensively. No surprise Foden was involved in so many good moments.
RM: Dango Ouattara - 4/10 - Too slow in possession as he failed to keep the pressure up on City's defence.
CM: Jefferson Lerma - 6/10 - Put himself about well in midfield and thoroughly deserved his goal late on.
CM: Philip Billing - 4/10 - Generally decent but an inexcusable error in these circumstances. Schoolboy mistake against one of the most potent attacks in the world.
LM: Hamed Traore - 5/10 - Had some nice moments in attack but obviously not as involved as he'd like to be.
ST: Dominic Solanke - 4/10 - Can't fault his effort and he did cause occasional problems.
Substitutes
Ryan Fredericks (59' for Smith) - 5/10 - Did his best to try and calm things down.
Joe Rothwell (59' for Billing) - 6/10 - A composed showing.
Jaidon Anthony (76' for Traore) - 6/10 - Did his best to try and make something happen.
Manager
Gary O'Neil - 4/10 - Switching to a five-man defence didn't work. Clearly focused on damage limitation after the break which also didn't work. Hard to be too harsh when you're up against City.
Man City player ratings (3-2-4-1)
GK: Ederson - 6/10 - Busier than he'd have expected to be without ever really being tested.
CB: Manuel Akanji - 7/10 - No dramas at all. Found himself in midfield quite often.
CB: Ruben Dias - 7/10 - Excellent for around 80 minutes but waved a weak leg at the attempt to clear what ended up being Lerma's late goal.
CB: Nathan Ake - 7/10 - A typically excellent performance from Ake.
DM: Rico Lewis - 7/10 - Really impressed in this midfield role. Great recoveries which led to dangerous chances for City.
DM: Rodri - 7/10 - Controlled the midfield game without needing to get out of second gear. Rested early in the second half with the job already done.
RM: Phil Foden - 9/10 - Did whatever he wanted with ease. Had Zemura on toast as he roared into the box to score and assist.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan - 7/10 - An incredibly influential first half an hour which gradually faded before he was handed an early rest.
CM: Julian Alvarez - 8/10 - Given plenty of freedom to fly forward, Alvarez showed his poacher's instinct here. The fourth goal was definitely going wide, however.
LM: Jack Grealish - 6/10 - Not Grealish's most impactful game but he still made sure City kept the pressure up.
ST: Erling Haaland - 7/10 - Back among the goals in what was another hard game for the Norwegian.
Substitutes
Kalvin Phillips (55' for Rodri) - 5/10 - Some awkward challenges and always felt a little off the pace.
Sergio Gomez (55' for Gundogan) - 7/10 - Clearly enjoyed the chance to show the world that he isn't actually a left-back.
Riyad Mahrez (72' for Grealish) - 6/10 - Limited involvement.
Maximo Perrone (72' for Haaland) - 7/10 - A classy cameo. Looked comfortable on the ball.
Kyle Walker (80' for Ake) - 5/10 - Not on the pitch long but didn't cover himself in glory.
Manager
Pep Guardiola - 7/10 - Another weird setup from Guardiola that got the job done. Did well to rest a lot of his big names when the job was clearly done. Needs to figure out how to keep a clean sheet.