Haaland’s double and O’Reilly’s dagger lift Manchester City past brave Bournemouth into second place
Erling Haaland rediscovered his remorseless groove with two first-half goals, and Nico O'Reilly added a second-half clincher as Manchester City beat an enterprising Bournemouth 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium to climb into second place, six points behind leaders Arsenal. Andoni Iraola's side arrived in form and unafraid, their high line and early press making it a compelling contest, but City's cutting edge proved decisive.
Bournemouth had the ball in the net after just 46 seconds through Eli Junior Kroupi, but an offside flag intervened. Haaland struck in the 17th minute, and after Tyler Adams punished a goalkeeping error to level, the Norwegian restored City’s lead before the interval. Bournemouth pressed again after half-time, but O’Reilly’s surging finish around the hour confirmed a win that also extended City’s perfect Premier League home record against the Cherries.
A whirlwind opening and the first decisive break