Sometimes the result is more important than anything else but today we had a good performance and a victory
Manchester City secured a win thanks to a controlled and measured performance. Maintaining some 82% possession and racking up an impressive 23 shots with 7 on target probably told the whole story. Bournemouth finished this game clearly as second best. They had no corners and no shots on goal. Precisely nothing to show from a game where they concentrated all of their efforts on just keeping the scoreline down.
From the kick off Manchester City attacked with gusto, passing the ball around in a never ending search for a goal. Passing between their lines and sparkling with impressive movement, Bournemouth were just rabbits caught in the headlights, mesmerized by the beauty.
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For all of that possession though City had only a couple of shots on target in the first half and in many ways Otamendi had looked to be our biggest threat at set pieces. On one spectacular occasion he saw a bicycle kick dip just over the bar.
The second half started in a similar vein and we were all puzzling over whether this would be one of those matches where the ball never goes into the net.
City suffered two substitutions both due to injury. Kevin De Bruyne went off after jarring his leg and later complained he had a hamstring problem. Stones was withdrawn with a thigh problem.
Mahrez and Kompany were both introduced and City continued to play exactly the same way despite the changes in personnel. The opening came after some good interplay between David Silva and Oleks Zinchenko which saw Mahrez in the 6 yard box at a tight angle. He slipped and shot and the ball nestled between the post and the outstretched arm of Boric.
City seemed likely to add another but saw their efforts amount to nothing Aguero went closest with a chipped shot but it bounced off the cross bar and out.
The game petered out to our second successive 1:0 win but this was much more comfortable. We had this game in a strangle hold and gradually tightened our grip to see the result out.
We now have a deserved 7 days rest until our next match and this should provide some welcome recovery time. There are just 3 matches remaining until the international break – Watford home, Schalke home and Swansea away. Three more single goal victories will be just fine.