Dazzling Doku drives Man City to 6-1 win over Bournemouth

Soccer Football – Premier League – Manchester City v AFC Bournemouth – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain – November 4, 2023

AFC Bournemouth’s Max Aarons in action with Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku REUTERS/Molly Darlington

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MANCHESTER, England, Nov 4 (Reuters) – Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku scored a goal and provided two assists in a seven-minute frenzy during the first half, before adding two more assists in the second half as the champions comfortably defeated Bournemouth 6-1, taking them to the top of the Premier League on Saturday.

Bernardo Silva scored twice, but it was Belgian winger Jeremy Doku who stood out with his attacking skills, setting the stage for a commanding victory for the home side. Unfortunately, leading striker Erling Haaland was injured and had to be substituted at halftime.

After a careful approach for the first half-hour, Pep Guardiola’s City finally broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark when Doku played a quick one-two with Rodri on the edge of the box before slotting the ball into the net.

Just three minutes later, Doku’s skillful footwork left the Bournemouth defense in disarray as he set up Silva for the second goal. In the 37th minute, Doku’s left-foot shot deflected off his teammate Manuel Akanji and found its way into the net.

Having hit the post with a header in the first half, Haaland was forced to leave the field at halftime due to injury, with Phil Foden taking his place in the second half.

Shortly after the break, Bournemouth thought they had pulled one back, but Dominic Solanke’s goal was disallowed after a VAR check revealed that Ryan Christie was offside in the build-up.

Doku continued to trouble the Bournemouth defense, and in the 64th minute, he set up Foden for a close-range finish, making it 4-1.

“He (Doku) is not afraid to showcase his abilities. He wants to take on everyone, even in training. He’s a challenging player to mark and he will be crucial this season,” said City defender Nathan Ake in an interview with Sky Sports after Doku’s outstanding performance.

Bournemouth’s Luis Sinisterra managed to score a consolation goal for his team, but goals from Silva and Ake sealed the win for City, propelling them to the top of the table with 27 points, one ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who will face Chelsea on Monday.

“There is always room for improvement. Pep is never satisfied or complacent, and neither are we. We have to keep pushing and getting better,” Ake added.

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola believed the result was harsh. “I don’t think the game should have ended the way it did. The punishment was too severe. Almost every time they had a clear chance, they scored,” he told the BBC.

Reporting by Philip O’Connor; editing by Ken Ferris

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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