BOURNEMOUTH, England (REUTERS) - Substitute Riyad Mahrez scored the only goal as Manchester City beat Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday (March 2) to return to the top of the Premier League.
The home side showed champions City plenty of respect in the opening 45 minutes, defending deep and forcing their opponents to probe patiently for openings, and they conceded little in the way of goalscoring chances.
City manager Pep Guardiola was forced to replace the injured Kevin De Bruyne with Mahrez at halftime, and he was quickly followed by defender John Stones, who was substituted early in the second half with a thigh problem.
The visitors continued to probe and their patience finally paid off when David Silva teed up Mahrez, who lashed home a shot with his right foot to break the deadlock 10 minutes into the second half.
Bournemouth were unable to raise their game and goalkeeper Artur Boruc pulled of a number of fine saves.
He was quick off his line to thwart a breakaway attempt by Raheem Sterling and Aguero clipped the underside of the crossbar before Boruc beat away a close-range header from Mahrez.
"We made one of the best performances we have played. They were very organised, but they didn't have one shot. We created a few chances. People should understand how difficult it is to attack 11 (defending) players," Guardiola said.
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe was disappointed to see his side's defensive efforts undone by what he termed an "ugly" goal.
"You want to be competitive and that was the way for us to make the game tight, show toughness and mentally hang in. The only frustration is their goal was ugly, which is very unlike them," he said.
The win put City top on 71 points, two ahead of Liverpool who face Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday. Bournemouth, who have lost four of their last five, remained 12th on 34 points.
Football: Jose Mourinho says he lacked help in Manchester United job Related Story. Football: Where next for Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid have an itch to scratch? China and France are options.
Should Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho part ways?
Bayern Munich could battle Chelsea and Atletico Madrid for the signing of OGC Nice star Youcef Atal. The 22-year-old has been in exceptional form for his side in Ligue 1 this season, and according to a report from The Telegraph, Niko Kovac's men could be keen to make a move this summer.
Teen Mom 2: Chelsea Gets Aubree 2 Pairs of Glasses
Sigurdsson double helps Everton sink Cardiff. By. Reuters - February 27, 2019 7:45 AM. with more confidence and in that moment you could see the kind of football we can play."
Soccer: Sigurdsson double helps Everton sink Cardiff - Reuters
Ozil leads five-star Arsenal past Bournemouth Mesut Ozil made the most of being handed a rare start by Arsenal boss Unai Emery as the German masterminded a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday to keep the Gunners in pole position for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
EPL: Ozil leads five-star Arsenal past Bournemouth - Punch
May 30, 2019 · Barcelona had reached the Champions League semi-final; the others had long gone. Valencia didn't get out of the group and, in the knockout rounds, Madrid fell first, their season effectively
Injury-hit Barcelona take on Valencia in Copa del Rey final
Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette free to face Rennes as UEFA
DOHA (Reuters) - FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that a majority of national soccer federations were in favor of expanding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams.
Qatar would help Middle East peace by sharing 2022 World Cup
Palace punish sloppy Arsenal in 3-2 win at the Emirates
Juve's old guard bidding to finish off Ajax kids. Cristiano Ronaldo will spearhead Juventus' old guard as they look to finish the job on Tuesday against Ajax's impressive young guns in a
Football: Juventus's old guard bidding to finish job against
Barcelona put one hand on La Liga title after edging past Sociedad Barca lead the standings on 77 points after 33 games, comfortably clear of nearest challengers Atletico Madrid who won 1-0 at
Barca put one hand on title after edging past Sociedad
Football: Gymkhana president infuriated by 'unfair' treatment of NFL club Gymkhana FC were booted out of the National Football League, with the Football Association of Singapore also withdrawing
Gymkhana bemoan 'unfair' treatment, Football News & Top
0 comments:
Post a Comment