Manchester City moved up to second in the Premier League with a hard-fought victory over Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium. Raheem Sterling was again their tormentor-in-chief as the English international notched up a goal and wreaked havoc on the right-hand side as City won 4 matches in a row for the first time since the 10-match winning streak they have right at the start of the season.
Bournemouth tried hard and gave their all but the vast difference in quality ensured that City took advantage of the crucial moments in the game. What would please the manager is that his team could close down the match on the front-foot which was a throwback to his Barcelona and Bayern Munich days where they relentlessly kept at their opponents throughout the 90 minutes.
Let us take a look at the 3 talking points from the game.
JESUS INJURED, BUT CAN AGUERO PROVE HIS WORTH AGAIN?
In what has come as a huge blow to the City faithful, Gabriel Jesus has broken a metatarsal and is likely to be out for a period of 12 weeks. He took a false step and what seemed like an innocuous injury has turned out to be something which might derail their train which was slowly gathering momentum. Jesus had controversially replaced Sergio in the team and there was huge chatter regarding the Argentine leaving the club but in a twist of fate, he has now got a huge chance to reclaim his starting berth on merit and not by chance. If Aguero can fire, City will not miss Jesus.
LEROY SANE IS TOO HOT TO HANDLE
The young German was bought by the Etihad outfit for a hefty sum, mainly due to the rumour that Bayern Munich would be making a move for him next summer. He had the ability, which was on offer in flashes but consistency and a polished approach were missing. His critics had much to say in the initial few months when he failed to settle but ever since the goal in the victory against Arsenal, he has transformed and is looking like a match-winner. Possessing unstoppable pace, he has looked more confident and is slowly getting to know how to use his attributes in a better manner.
GAP CLOSED TO 8 POINTS; CAN THE UNTHINKABLE STILL HAPPEN?
As Chelsea dropped points against Chelsea and Spurs lost to Liverpool, it was the Blue half of Manchester who made sure to use it to their advantage. Appearing focused and determined, they bagged all 3 points and have cut the deficit now to a single digit figure. While Chelsea are still well and truly on their road to glory, City and the other teams will know that now is not the time yet to put up their hands.
