Phil Foden scored the only goal of the match at the Vitality Stadium while Erling Haaland again missed multiple chances.
Manchester City are now one point behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after claiming a second consecutive 1-0 win this week, this time at Bournemouth, the win coming thanks to another Money goal. Defender is in good form Phil Foden.
City scored the only goal of the match in the 20th minute, Foden coolly finishing after Erling Haaland’s shot was blocked. In fact, the Norwegian international had a forgettable match when he missed a series of opportunities to score for Man City.
Bournemouth played boldly and bravely in the second half to try and get a point, but the defending champions held the net and avoided having to divide the points. Man City will have to look back on many things after this match, especially Haaland’s recent inconsistent performances.
This was one of Haaland’s least effective performances for Man City, leading to him only being graded 5.7 points by Sofa Score. This striker played 75 minutes, only touched the ball 30 times and missed 3 big opportunities. He successfully passed 16/21 times (76%), only winning 1/3 of duels and 1/2 of aerial duels, despite his superior physique.
A week ago, Haaland also had a disappointing performance on the day Chelsea held Man City to a 1-1 draw at Etihad Stadium. He played the whole match but did not score a goal and also missed 3 big opportunities, only touching the ball 27 times and successfully completing 9/12 passes, very modest numbers.
Haaland has always been considered a classic striker, with a habit of catching the ball and scoring goals instead of participating in the team’s overall play. When he’s in good form, that trait isn’t a problem, but on days when Haaland can’t score or assist, he really doesn’t bring anything to his team.
However, it must be said that these performances are disappointing because Erling Haaland has set too high standards for himself. Up to now, he still has 22 goals and 6 assists after 29 matches in all competitions this season for Man City, helping the team maintain competition for the biggest titles. Next week they will have an important match with neighbor Man United at home, after meeting Luton Town in the 5th round of the FA Cup away.