November 02, (THEWILL) — Manchester City returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth on Sunday, moving to within six points of league leaders Arsenal in the penultimate fixture of the English Premier League week. Erling Haaland scored twice to maintain his excellent home form, whilst Nico O’Reilly added a third for the hosts.
The Norwegian striker opened the scoring in the 17th minute after Rayan Cherki released him inside the Bournemouth half. Haaland finished emphatically past goalkeeper Petrovic to give City the lead. Tyler Adams equalised shortly afterwards from a corner, with the United States international converting the rebound after Gianluigi Donnarumma failed to clear Alex Scott’s delivery. City players appealed for a foul, but VAR upheld the goal.
Cherki turned provider again before half-time, threading a pass through to Haaland, who rounded Petrovic to restore City’s advantage with his second of the evening. The Norwegian was substituted in the 82nd minute for Omar Marmoush, marking the 15th occasion he has been withdrawn after scoring a brace and his fourth consecutive home match with two goals.
O’Reilly wrapped up the victory in the 60th minute to ensure Bournemouth suffered only their second defeat in 10 matches this season. The City defence restricted the Cherries’ attacking threats to limited opportunities throughout the contest.
A late cameo from Rodri marked a significant moment for the hosts. The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner made his first appearance since sustaining an injury against Brentford earlier in the campaign. City now prepare for a Champions League encounter with Borussia Dortmund before hosting Liverpool in the league.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
