Erling Haaland roared back to his ruthless best with a deadly double as Manchester City brushed aside Bournemouth to climb into second place in the Premier League.
After a rare stumble at Aston Villa last weekend, Pep Guardiola’s men were in no mood to slip again. Haaland, who had drawn a blank in Birmingham, looked like a man possessed as he dragged City back to winning ways and reignited their title chase.
The Norwegian hitman wasted little time stamping his mark on the contest after an early scare for the champions. Bournemouth thought they had struck gold inside the first minute when teenager Eli Junior Kroupi bundled the ball home, only for the flag to cut short the celebrations.
That warning jolted City into gear. In the 17th minute, Rayan Cherki cushioned a clever header into Haaland’s path and the outcome was inevitable. The striker powered forward, opened his body and guided a clinical finish beyond the keeper to send the Etihad faithful wild.
The Cherries refused to roll over and stunned the home side just eight minutes later. Gianluigi Donnarumma flapped at a corner and Tyler Adams pounced, smashing home his first ever goal in English football. The American’s joy was City’s frustration as Donnarumma protested in vain that he had been impeded.
But when you have Haaland in your ranks, panic never lingers long. The Norwegian bulldozer combined once more with Cherki before gliding past Djordje Petrovic and slotting home with icy precision. That was his 13th Premier League goal of the campaign and his 26th across all competitions for club and country.
The City talisman almost completed his hat-trick before half-time, forcing a flying save from Petrovic with a delightful chip before nodding narrowly over early in the second half. Bournemouth clung on, and Kroupi again went close with a stinging drive that Donnarumma managed to beat away.
Moments later, City turned the screw. Nico O’Reilly, full of energy and intent, surged through midfield on the hour mark and arrowed a brilliant low strike into the far corner to make it three. That goal killed off any lingering Bournemouth resistance and underlined City’s dominance.
As the final whistle blew, Guardiola cut a satisfied figure on the touchline. His side may have wobbled last week, but with Haaland back firing and the rhythm restored, City are once again breathing down Arsenal’s necks in the title race.