Guardiola: Bournemouth’s relentless test keeps City sharp

Match Report

Spanish coach Pep Guardiola, Manchester City's manager, said he was pleased with the victory over a tough Bournemouth side.

City returned to winning ways in the Premier League after beating Bournemouth 3-1 at the Etihad on Sunday, in round ten of the season.

City had stumbled in the previous round, losing 1-0 to Aston Villa.

City's goals came from Erling Haaland in the 17th and 32nd minutes, and Nico Orili in the 60th.

Bournemouth's only goal was by Tyler Adams in the 25th.

Guardiola said the team played well and had to be highly organized in pressing and defending, with Haaland again proving decisive.

On the difficulty of facing Bournemouth, he noted that Bournemouth had beaten City last season and the game here was always tough against them.

He added that Bournemouth are a strong and aggressive side; this season they have had some tough results, and City respect their quality.

We have an important week ahead; City will now start preparing for the Champions League match and have a great chance to qualify.

City travel to face Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad on Wednesday in the Champions League group stage.

Regarding the goal Bournemouth conceded, Guardiola said there were moments that are hard to understand, but City stayed focused and earned their second goal through resilience.

Haaland commented that the win was important and it was good to regain form after a difficult away game; the performance was excellent.

He added that he tried to contribute to the team, emphasizing that winning is good and there are two important matches ahead to maintain focus.

Haaland further noted that he did not score in the previous game but aims to help the team win and drive development, regardless of personal statistics.

On his substitution before a potential hat-trick, Haaland suggested that some fantasy players might not have been happy with the change.

With this result, City moved to 19 points, second in the table, while Bournemouth sat on 18 points in fourth.

Key Numbers

According to Opta, City have won all nine home league games against Bournemouth (9 from 9); Manchester United share the 100% home record against Luton Town but in more games (16 from 16).

In the nine meetings at the Etihad, City have scored 34 goals and conceded just four.

City have won 16 of 17 league meetings with Bournemouth.

Phil Foden, at 25 years and 158 days, became the youngest City player to reach 200 Premier League appearances for the club, surpassing Raheem Sterling's record (26 years, 284 days).

Frenchman Rayan Cherki became the only player in Europe’s top five leagues to provide two decisive passes in five different competitions in 2025, including delivering two assists to Haaland in today’s match.

Haaland has now scored 13 Premier League goals this season, more than half of the league’s 10 clubs’ totals.

City opened their Champions League campaign this season with a 2-0 win over Napoli at the Etihad.

In the second group game, City drew 2-2 with Monaco; in the third, they earned a valuable away win over Villarreal to sit on seven points, two behind the leaders Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

Manchester City Transfer Window

City have bolstered the squad under Guardiola with several summer signings to strengthen the blue side for the 2025-2026 campaign.

The English giants added a trio of goalkeepers, Gianluigi Donnarumma, James Trafford and Marcus Bettinelli, along with Ryan Ait Nouri, Tijani Rinders and Ryan Cherki, with additional dealings to bolster the squad depth.

City also signed Norwegian youngster Sefiri Niban, aged 18, before sending him on loan to Middlesbrough.