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Attendance: 54,335
Manchester City logo
Premier League
Sep 17, 2016 at 3pm UK
 
Bournemouth logo

4-0

De Bruyne (15'), Iheanacho (25'), Sterling (48'), Gundogan (66')
Nolito (86')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Dominant Manchester City ease past Bournemouth to prolong winning run

Manchester City make it five wins on the bounce in the Premier League as they earn a straightforward 4-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City have extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table by cruising to a 4-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.

The Citizens scored two goals in either half to make it eight wins from eight under Pep Guardiola, with five of those coming in the league to match their winning start of last season.

It was also a first start to forget for Arsenal loanee Jack Wilshere in the Bournemouth ranks, who was at fault for the opening goal, but the afternoon did end on a low note for the hosts as Nolito saw red late on.

The early signs were ominous from a Bournemouth perspective, as Kevin De Bruyne unleashed a shot on goal with just 15 seconds on the clock which Artur Boruc was equal to.

It was a very bright start to the contest for the Citizens, who put nine goals past their opponents across both games last season, but they were unable to find any gaps at the back, with the Cherries' backline shuffling across well and remaining compact.

City did find a breakthrough 15 minutes in through a well-taken free kick, however, coming after Wilshere conceded a foul 20 yards from goal after initially giving away possession of the ball.

De Bruyne fooled everyone, including Boruc, by sending the ball under the wall rather than over it for his 18th goal in a City shirt.

Bournemouth, whose best first-half moments came when the pacy Joshua King was given a chance to stretch his legs down the left-hand side, began to leave more gaps open at the back from that point on - a fine Boruc stop needed to prevent Nolito converting from a swift City counter.

The second goal of the afternoon did arrive on the 25-minute mark, though, as a breathtaking attack, with just 10 touches from start to finish, ended with Raheem Sterling unselfishly squaring the ball for Kelechi Iheanacho to make it three goals in three games.

Boruc was being required more and more to keep his side in the game, first pushing aside a long-range drive from Aleksandar Kolarov and then preventing Sterling from scoring his third goal under Guardiola after a smart piece of link-up play with Iheanacho.

Bournemouth's afternoon got even worse just minutes into the second half when, in a complete reversal of the second goal, Iheanacho this time slipped in Sterling to tap the ball over the line after himself being picked out by a De Bruyne pass.

Ilkay Gundogan, making his second start in a week on his return from injury, also saw a shot deflect wide and De Bruyne's latest attempt was well handled by Boruc down low.

An in-form De Bruyne had a free kick kept out by City in a dominant start to the second period, shortly before Sterling had a goal-bound attempt helped over the bar by an increasingly busy Boruc.

Eddie Howe turned to Callum Wilson prior to the hosts' killer third to inject some more attacking quality, and the forward came close to justifying his manager's decision when firing in his side's first shot on target 56 minutes in.

Sterling, a player reformed under Guardiola, was really enjoying himself as the match wore on, and he should have scored a second when weaving his way past five opposition players inside the box, only for Boruc to again keep the ball out.

The league leaders did not have to wait too much longer for the fifth; a fine passing move culminating in De Bruyne sending the ball through for Gundogan to sweep home his first goal in City colours with a quarter of the match still to play.

Wilson again came close to giving the travelling supporters something to celebrate, seeing his shot hit the crossbar on its way through, but City stood firm to keep a first clean sheet of the league season.

There was to be a little blemish four minutes from time, however, as Nolito moved his head in the direction of Adam Smith following a coming-together to earn himself an early shower.

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Eddie Howe ahead of the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Bournemouth on April 9, 2016
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