On Saturday afternoon, Manchester City, led by Jeremy Doku, defeated Bournemouth in a fashion that put them back atop the Premier League standings.
With a stellar record against their opponents coming into the game on Saturday afternoon at the Etihad Stadium, City already held a 12-match winning streak against the Cherries in the Premier League.
The game began somewhat slowly, but Erling Haaland had the first opportunity when he attempted to head in Julian Alvarez’s cross but only managed to hit the post.
The first goal took almost thirty minutes to arrive, but when it did, Pep Guardiola’s team was well worth the wait.
With so many bodies surrounding him, Jeremy Doku managed to break through the Bournemouth defense, play a deft one-two with Rodri, and then nestle the ball into the net.
It only took a few minutes for City to double their lead, and their new acquisition, Doku, the Belgian winger, was at the center of it all. He first dazzled the defenders before setting up Bernardo Silva for a brilliant finish that ensured City was coasting.
In just seven and a half minutes, the treble-winners demonstrated their class by scoring a third goal, with the Belgian winger playing a key role once more.
After a smart deflection off Manuel Akanji’s back, Doku lined up a shot against the trembling and trembling Bournemouth defense that found its way into the net.
RECORD ALERT: @JeremyDoku, who is 21 years and 161 days old, set a record by becoming the youngest player in Premier League history to assist four goals in addition to being the youngest player to ever participate in five goals in one game. 🤯🌧🌪⭐️ @OptaJoe pic.twitter.com/82ZtBS5RXq
— November 4, 2023, City Xtra (@City_Xtra)
There were no goals or truly noteworthy moments to begin with during the quiet period that preceded the second half.
That was all before Phil Foden, who replaced Haaland at halftime, added to the North West’s sky blue crushing victory.
The English winger scored his second goal in the league in as many games after a crucial one-two with Doku, who was playing exceptionally well.
Luis Sinisterra’s goal late in the game gave Bournemouth a consolation goal; it was the visitors’ first effort on goal of the afternoon.
But City responded swiftly, scoring two goals late on of their own; Doku provided yet another assist, this time to Silva, who scored his second of the game.
Nathan Ake, who was helped home by Oscar Bobb, a substitute from City, sealed the humiliation by scoring a goal against his old team.
These are the top five takeaways from Manchester City’s convincing victory over Bournemouth on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium.
Again, City chooses Cherries.
Certain teams have favored opponents with whom they are confident that they will win regardless of their own performance going into the match.
Bournemouth is without a doubt City’s favorite team to play, as they have a record like this against most teams these days.
It was always going to go one way because the team had defeated the Cherries in the Premier League for 12 straight wins coming into this match on Saturday.
Naturally, the outcome was as expected, and it appears that Bournemouth may never truly overcome the Blues.
Kovacic makes amends
Mateo Kovacic’s solo effort against Arsenal was one of the worst displays of any Manchester City player.
The Croatian received a yellow card for what could have been a straight red card during the match against City’s title rivals after losing his head.
Just a few minutes later, he jumped into another careless challenge that might have resulted in his removal from the Emirates pitch once more.
When he returned to the team on Saturday, City’s first summer acquisition appeared to be back to his masterful self, allowing most of his team’s play to go through him.
It was good to see him back in the side and confident even though his contribution did not shine as much as Doku’s.
Fort Etihad is unwavering
Manchester City has a number of outstanding records, but one that stands out right now is their home record of league victories in a row.
The team led by Pep Guardiola easily extended their winning run in the Premier League to 22 games on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium.
With the exception of the consolation goal, Bournemouth hardly ever threatened, and the journey to the most recent victory occasionally felt like a Citizens practice.
This season, the treble-winners will need some stopping at home, as the Cherries, like most visiting teams, have been chasing shadows around the field.
In all competitions, #ManCity has now won 22 straight games at the Etihad Stadium. @ManCity 🏰✅
Nov. 4, 2023 — City Xtra (@City_Xtra)
Later on, Manchester City gave up despite taking a commanding lead and failing to maintain the crucial clean sheet.
Luis Sinisterra’s goal in the second half served as a timely reminder that there is always risk when driving on cruise control, regardless of how far you are traveling.
This season, City has lost a number of close goals, including their most recent Premier League home game against Brighton.
Errors and careless goals like this one must be fixed if Guardiola’s team is to emulate the feats of the previous season’s Treble victory and then some.
For more updates on Manchester City news, please visit our website.
