Premier League: Manchester City Rises to Second Place After Defeating Bournemouth

Manchester City continues to regain its confidence. In the 10th round of the 2025-2026 Premier League, Pep Guardiola's team dominated Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium with a score of 3-1. Surprising runners-up to Arsenal in the overall standings, the Cherries suffered too much to hope for anything other than a logical defeat. Erling Haaland, who scored twice with assists from Rayan Cherki, led his team to victory. In the standings, the Citizens move ahead of their opponents of the day and close the gap to six points behind Arsenal, just a week before facing reigning champions Liverpool.

This was a crucial victory for City, and the Mancunians did not falter in their mission. Visiting their nemesis, Bournemouth aimed to at least secure a draw to maintain their position as runners-up. In practice, the Skyblues set a sustained pace throughout the match. Eager to challenge City with significant offensive pressure, Andoni Iraola faced the consequences of this tactical choice with a high visiting block. The result: the hosts exploited quick transitions to put Haaland in prime positions to score.

Thrilled to have Rayan Cherki providing assists, the Norwegian giant opened the scoring following an incisive pass from the Manchester No. 10 (17th minute, 1-0). Things escalated quickly with a visiting equalizer by Tyler Adams from a corner, aided by a failed clearance from Gianluigi Donnarumma (25th minute, 1-1). Nevertheless, the Cherki-Haaland duo struck again, with another key pass for Cherki and a second goal for the unstoppable Haaland (33rd minute, 2-1). With 13 goals in 10 league matches, the Scandinavian star boosted his individual stats.

Without a save from Djordje Petrović on a lob from Haaland, the Norwegian would have scored a hat trick before halftime. Ultimately, the suspense lingered as Bournemouth missed opportunities to equalize. Starting at the forefront of the attack, Eli Junior Kroupi missed the target (51st minute), then he forced Donnarumma into a crucial save (53rd minute). At the hour mark, City sealed the deal with a goal from Nico O'Reilly for a 3-1 lead (60th minute). Before facing Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, City is gaining momentum and returning to the upper echelons of the Premier League.