Five Things We Learned: Manchester City 2-1 Bournemouth (Premier League)

Manchester City recorded their third successive victory following Wednesday evening’s defeat of the relegation-threatened Cherries. Bournemouth fought boldly throughout the game; however, Eddie Howe’s side was outmatched by a weakened City side with one eye on Saturday.

Despite some shaky defending courtesy of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi, City’s prowess in the final third ensured that their good form continued heading into this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final.

Despite Bournemouth’s admirable efforts and a late goal, precise finishes from David Silva and Gabriel Jesus in the first half, along with several great saves by Ederson proved insurmountable for The Cherries who despite performing well, took another step closer to relegation.

After a mixed performance, here’s five things we learned from last night’s fixture…

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Jesus Steps Up Again

With Sergio Aguero seemingly out for the campaign, it was vital for Gabriel Jesus to find goal-scoring form, and after several sluggish performances following the restart, the Brazilian now looks to have found his shooting boots after notching his third goal in as many games.

Jesus fantastically opened the scoring after creating space for himself in a tight area with some excellent footwork before pulling the trigger and firing the ball past Aaron Ramsdale. Jesus was again excellent in the second half and looked to have won a penalty after colliding with Steve Cook, although VAR, perhaps incorrectly, reversed the decision.

Whilst Jesus’ work-rate and link-up play are generally excellent, he has often displayed impotence in front of goal, but should his goal-scoring form continue, then the Brazilian international may finally begin to seriously challenge Aguero for a regular starting berth in the Manchester City side.

Stones and Otamendi Remain Unimpressive

The error-prone duo of Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones both performed as if they knew their time at the club is coming to an end. Neither ‘defender’ looked especially convincing and each time Bournemouth ventured into the final third, they came close to scoring.

Whilst Stones was usually great in possession against The Cherries; regularly playing the ball forward, throughout the evening Stones often looked a real liability in defence. Stones’ poor positioning and ineffectual reading of the game frequently prompted Ederson into action, who again looks set to miss out on his first Premier League Golden Glove after conceding thanks to some sloppy defending from Stones and co. late in the game.

Otamendi, on the other hand, was arguably worse than his English counterpart. Similarly, to Stones, the Argentine read the game poorly whilst his defensive positioning was somehow worse. Otamendi has been at the club for over five years now and whilst he has served the club well in the past and has deservedly added nine medals to his trophy cabinet, Otamendi’s evident decline and increased vulnerability this season means that he may be shipped out as soon as the club look to rebuild following a disappointing league campaign.

Despite high expectations of Stones following his big-money arrival from Everton, his initial promise has all but disappeared, and with the club looking certain to bring in a top-quality centre-back given the unreliability of Stones and Otamendi, the duo’s time in Manchester may be winding down.

Silva = Silverware?

El Mago opened the scoring early on with a superb free-kick before providing the assist for Gabriel Jesus to double Manchester City’s lead late in the first half, as he once again ran the show in the City midfield. 

Throughout the evening, the Spaniard moved well both on-and-off the ball, rarely conceded possession whilst also contributing well defensively. Silva is considered by many to be City’s greatest ever player and whilst we will all be sad to see him leave at the end of the campaign, Silva’s current form could prove fundamental in City achieving further silverware this season; with the FA Cup and the coveted Champions League still to play for.

Ederson’s Golden Glove Hopes Dashed

With five minutes remaining, Ederson appeared certain to record his third successive Premier League clean sheet and looked to pull away from Nick Pope and Dean Henderson in the race for the golden glove. However, David Brooks’ late goal may prove decisive in the awarding of the prize.

Since he arrived from Benfica in 2017, Ederson has established himself as one of the most reliable ‘keepers in the league and throughout the evening, the Brazilian made several great saves to deny Bournemouth, with a stupendous save to prevent Stanislas’ free-kick from crossing the line being the highlight.

Manchester City’s remaining league matches are against relegation-threatened Watford and already relegated Norwich – two sides that average less than a goal per game, and should City manage to keep a clean sheet against those sides, then Ederson looks likely to collect his first Premier League golden glove.

Bernardo Again Unconvincing

Although his class is evident, throughout the season Bernardo Silva has often struggled to match the high-levels he exhibited week-in week-out last campaign and appears to be a shadow of his former self. The impressive form of Riyad Mahrez has meant that the Portuguese has been usurped from his regular role on the right-wing and with City heavily rumoured to be signing right-winger Ferran Torres in the upcoming transfer window, Bernardo will need to rediscover his best form should he want to remain a regular in the City side.

Against Bournemouth, Bernardo was barely noticeable during his time on the pitch, and his performance again evidences that Bernardo’s best position is central midfield as opposed to right-wing. With Bernardo’s Spanish namesake leaving the club upon the expiration of his contract, Bernardo may hopefully be provided further opportunities to play in a more central position, and Bernardo may establish himself as one of the first names on the team-sheet once more.

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