November 04, (THEWILL) – Manchester City put on an attacking masterclass to thrash Bournemouth 6-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, despite losing star striker Erling Haaland to injury. Belgian winger, Jeremy Doku, was the star of the show, scoring one goal and assisting four others as the champions blew away the Cherries.
The home side dominated from the start and deservedly went 1-0 up on 30 minutes when Doku exchanged passes with Rodri before curling home. He turned provider minutes later, combining with Kyle Walker to set up Bernardo Silva for a simple finish. Doku thought he had a goal himself soon after but it was given to Akanji after a deflection.
Haaland was forced off with an injury at half-time but City picked up where they left off. Doku carved open the Bournemouth defence again, teeing up Phil Foden to make it 4-0 just after the hour mark. Luis Sinisterra pulled one back for the visitors but Silva added a fifth with a clever flick from another Doku assist. Nathan Ake headed home a late sixth to round off a resounding victory.
Manager Pep Guardiola will hope Haaland’s injury is not serious with crunch clashes against Chelsea and Liverpool coming up. Yet, on this evidence, City have ample firepower even without their star striker.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
