Manchester City entertained Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium earlier this evening looking to pick up another home win in the Premier League. The Citizens made a strong start to the game and scored in the sixth minute via David Silva’s excellent freekick. Gabriel Jesus doubled his team’s advantage in the 39th minute when he found the back of the net with a clinical finish. The home side went into the half-time break with a healthy two-goal lead.
The Cherries came back and produced a resilient showing in the second 45 minutes. They finally managed to get a consolation goal via David Brooks’ tidy finish. However, there was no sting in the tail as Man City secured a narrow 2-1 victory over the Dorset outfit.
Let’s take a look at how each Man City player fared during the contest versus the Cherries.
GK: Ederson – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper pulled off a brilliant save to deny Junior Stanislas in the first half. His ball-distribution was once again a joy to watch, but he would not be happy after conceding a goal so late.
RB: Kyle Walker – 6/10
The English full-back was solid defensively and made some promising runs in the opposition half. However, his final delivery was lacklustre in the attacking third.
CB: John Stones – 6/10
The English centre-back had a few nervy moments, but did enough defensively to restrict the Cherries to just one goal.
CB: Nicolas Otamendi – 7/10
The Argentine defender used his experience well to keep Dominic Solanke quiet and made an incredible block to deny the ex-Liverpool striker. Pep Guardiola will be happy with his performance today.
LB: Benjamin Mendy – 6/10
The Frenchman got some valuable minutes under his belt. However, his performance going forward left a lot to be desired.
CM: Fernandinho – 7.5/10
The Brazilian midfield ace retained possession well in midfield and provided adequate protection for his teammates at the back. He also went close to scoring, but his shot was just wide off the mark.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 7/10
He distributed the ball with ease and grace at the centre of the park and was not afraid to put his body on the line to deny the opposition.
CM: David Silva – 8.5/10
The Spanish maestro produced another magical display during the 90 minutes. He scored with a superb freekick to give Man City the lead and also picked up an assist for setting up Jesus’ goal.
RW: Bernardo Silva – 6/10
The Portuguese speedster worked hard out on the wide areas, but lacked the cutting edge in the final third. He will be hoping for more productive days at the Etihad.
ST: Gabriel Jesus – 8/10
The Brazilian striker was lively and did well to cause a few headaches for the Bournemouth defenders. He got himself on the scoresheet with a clinical finish just six minutes before half-time, which ended up making a significant difference in the contest.
LW: Phil Foden – 5/10
The English whizkid did not give a good account of himself during the game. He got 90 minutes under his belt, which is always a positive for such a young talent.
Substitutes:
LW: Raheem Sterling – 6/10
He showed a few signs of promise on the field, but didn’t manage to score a goal.
CB: Eric Garcia – 5/10
He looked shaky at the back
CM: Rodri – 6/10
He added some fresh legs in midfield.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6/10
Zinchenko did enough to see out the win.
RW: Riyad Mahrez – 6/10
The Algerian added some energy to Man City’s attack.
