MANCHESTER: Erling Haaland delivered another masterclass in ruthless finishing with two goals on Sunday as Manchester City beat high-flying Bournemouth 3-1 and climbed into second place in the Premier League.
The big Norwegian struck twice on the break in the first half at Etihad Stadium, moving Pep Guardiola’s side six points behind leaders Arsenal with 19 points, while Bournemouth, who suffered their first loss in nine league games, fell to fourth in the table on 18 points.
Haaland, who tops the Premier League scoring chart with 13 goals in 10 games, broke the deadlock in the 17th minute, heading the ball forward from just past the halfway line and then barrelling down on goal before coolly slotting home past Djordje Petrovic.
Bournemouth hit back through Tyler Adams in the 25th minute. City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma could not get a clean punch on the ball and it dropped to Adams, who stabbed it in from close range. City screamed for a foul on Donnarumma, but after a VAR check the goal stood.
The visitors were not level for long as Haaland restored City’s lead eight minutes later, beating the Bournemouth defence before going around Petrovic to slot home with a left-footed shot from a tight angle.
Nico O’Reilly struck from just inside the box to add a third for City in the 60th minute when he latched onto a pass from Phil Foden and threaded the ball through Marcos Senesi’s legs and into the net. “We played really good,” Guardiola said. “We had to be so co-ordinated with the pressing and with our defending. They played really good and of course again Erling was decisive.”
Haaland has 26 goals in just 16 appearances for club and country this season and on Sunday became the third player in Premier League history to score two or more goals in four successive home games after Luis Suarez and Robbie Fowler.
“I didn’t score last game (a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa),” Haaland told Sky Sports. “I try to help the team to win. That is my goal and even by scoring or helping in winning duels it doesn’t matter. I want to help the team become better, that is my job.”
Haaland laughed when asked about being taken off before completing his hat-trick, saying: “There were probably a few fantasy managers who were not so happy.”
Bournemouth started well and Eli Junior Kroupi celebrated what he thought was the game’s first goal in the opening minute, before it was quickly ruled offside.
The visitors squandered several chances, with Kroupi firing into the side netting and then having a hard shot pushed away by Donnarumma in a two-minute spell early in the second half.
“It was not a bad performance by us,” Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola said. “We are starting quite well in games. Even when they scored the first goal we were controlling a lot. You have to accept the way we play, there are risks.”
City, who had 15 shots to Bournemouth’s eight, pressed for a fourth goal until the final whistle with Omar Marmoush firing into the side netting and then Tijjani Reijnders unleashing a blistering point-blank shot that Petrovic did well to stop seconds later.
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