Bournemouth push Manchester City to the limit but Foden goal enough

This was one of those games whereby Pep Guardiola’s body language told almost all of the story. Manchester City may have cut Liverpool’s advantage at the top to a point but the manner of victory was more pair of scissors than sledgehammer. The sight of Guardiola crouching on the edge of his technical area, nervously peering either side of the assistant referee, Darren Cann, to assess the picture as Bournemouth pushed to breaking point in search of an equaliser provided a snapshot of quite how uncomfortable a ride this turned out to be.

Phil Foden scored the only goal of the game with Erling Haaland uncharacteristically blunt in attack but by the end Guardiola felt the need to introduce Kevin De Bruyne with six minutes of normal time to play. Even after that the Bournemouth substitutes Dango Ouattara and Enes Ünal went close to replying, the latter heading wide. Bournemouth have not won in seven matches but should take heart from taking the champions all the way.

The first big chance fell to Haaland on nine minutes but how the No 9 fluffed his lines. Guardiola, the pain etched across his face, turned in disbelief and dragged his fingers down his cheeks after Haaland, clear of Marcos Senesi, fired a few yards wide from the edge of the D after being played in on goal by Foden. The pass from Foden was exquisite, the England forward nonchalantly helping the ball on from the centre circle and on to Haaland’s radar. “You’re just a shit Dom Solanke,” came the predictable but mildly amusing chant from the home support. Only Haaland and Mo Salah have registered more Premier League goals than Solanke this season, though the Bournemouth striker barely had a whiff here.

Maybe Haaland, who notched the only goal to earn City victory from a tight contest at home to Brentford on Tuesday, was just getting his bearings and, naturally, he had a sizeable role in City taking the lead midway through the first half. Mateo Kovacic scooped the ball into Haaland’s feet and the striker, off balance after wriggling goal-side of Senesi, stroked a shot goalwards with his left foot. Neto, the Bournemouth goalkeeper, kept Haaland’s effort out but Foden was on hand for the rebound, slotting in from close range. By this point City’s fans were enjoying themselves, reeling off the back catalogue of songs about their – increasingly noisy – neighbours. Guardiola? Not so much.

The City manager crashed towards the floor when Bernardo Silva overcooked a routine pass – by his standards – for Haaland and in first-half stoppage time, as Bournemouth pushed for an equaliser, he booted the drinks cool box in the corner of his technical area. Andoni Iraola had his own grievances. He was aghast that Nathan Aké, the former Bournemouth defender, went unpunished despite appearing to foul Antoine Semenyo on the edge of the box and Iraola’s fitness coach, Pablo De La Torre, the only member of staff to join him from Rayo Vallecano, was earlier booked for dissent. Bournemouth’s coaches raged when Adam Smith was pulled up for a forceful challenge on Matheus Nunes, one of three changes from midweek, with the Portuguese operating off City’s left flank.

Kyle Walker, Julián Álvarez and Oscar Bobb dropped to the bench, where Kevin De Bruyne, still not deemed in peak condition, again started. As much as Guardiola cut a frustrated figure in pursuit of perfection, the City manager must have been comforted by the sight of Rodri, his shirt tucked into his shorts, running the show from the base of midfield. Rodri had more touches and made more passes than any other player on the pitch and he knitted City’s attacks together. Before City took the lead, it was Rodri who threaded the ball through for Haaland inside Bournemouth’s 18-yard box but the Norway striker, surprisingly, declined to shoot himself and located Nunes, whose cutback was cleared.

City, for whom John Stones was excellent, were undoubtedly in control but Guardiola was jittery. Bournemouth are an entertaining watch under Iraola and Guardiola warned his players they are “completely alive, aggressive”. His apparent concerns seemed well placed when Bournemouth went close to levelling 10 minutes into the second half. Semenyo flew past Aké down the right and he squared the ball in search of a teammate. Semenyo’s cross bounced inside the six-yard box and arrived at the feet of Marcus Tavernier, who miscued his effort, allowing Rúben Dias to head clear. It should have been an alarming episode for City but a few minutes later Tavernier pulled a shot wide after Solanke shielded the ball from a touch-tight Dias, wearing the captain’s armband for City.

Bournemouth have a wretched record against City – they have now lost all 14 top-flight meetings by an aggregate score of 45-6 – but there was never any danger of a repeat of the 6-1 trouncing at the Etihad Stadium in November. Haaland was thwarted in his efforts to get on the scoresheet in the second half, Illia Zabarnyi blocking his shot from an acute angle after the striker gave him a bump inside the box, before being replaced by Álvarez on 75 minutes. Bournemouth came within inches of an equaliser when Ederson pushed Solanke’s 67th-minute header from a devilish Tavernier corner clear from behind his goalline.

Locals set off some fireworks approaching the 70th minute and Bournemouth under Iraola are certainly never dull.