Erling Haaland played half the match without scoring, but Man City still beat Bournemouth 6-1 thanks to Jeremy Doku’s excellent performance.
Bournemouth is struggling in the bottom group and is considered one of the leading candidates for relegation. Playing at home and facing such a weak opponent, Man City won easily with a big score in round 11 of the Premier League.
Jeremy Doku made a mark in Man City’s victory with 1 goal and 4 assists
Haaland did not score and was replaced early.
Jeremy Doku is the main character in this match. The Belgian striker scored 4 goals for the defending champion team. The 21-year-old star’s quick and tricky dribbles are an effective way for Man City to penetrate Bournemouth’s crowded defense.
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After half an hour of deadlock and almost only shooting from long range, Man City scored with the 10th shot. Doku scored, opening up 7 minutes of sublimation for the home team.
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Man City scored consecutive goals. Doku assisted Bernardo Silva with a simple shot in the penalty area to double the gap. After that, it was still Doku who shot the ball, hitting Manuel Akanji’s back and changing direction to fly into the goal.
Bournemouth completely collapsed after 3 quick goals. The match became easy for Man City. Coach Pep Guardiola did not even need to use Erling Haaland in the second half and decided to take the Norwegian striker off early.
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The goals continued to come for the defending champions. Doku continued to make his mark with two assists for Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva to score. Interspersed between the two celebration situations of Man City players was Bournemouth’s goal to shorten the score without much meaning, coming from Luis Sinistera’s shot.
Man City has not stopped, even when coach Guardiola continues to withdraw his pillars to rest. Nathan Ake sealed a 6-1 victory for the home team in the 84th minute with a close-range finish.
This result helps Man City surpass Arsenal and Tottenham to occupy the top of the Premier League table. Pep Guardiola and his team have 27 points, one point more than second-place team Tottenham. They hope to keep this position after round 11 because Spurs will meet Chelsea and Arsenal will face Newcastle.
At Etihad’s home field, Man City dominated with 67% of ball control, launching 12 shots, including seven on target.
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