Player ratings: Bournemouth 0-1 Man City as Cityzens narrow gap on Liverpool to one point

On Saturday evening, Manchester City claimed a 1-0 win at Bournemouth, moving closer to Premier League frontrunners Liverpool by just a single point.

Phil Foden, who netted the decisive goal mid-first half, led Manchester City's triumphant southern coast performance. The visiting side had to make significant effort to secure the win.

Despite the increasing pressure from City towards the end, the Cherries held their ground excellently. However, they were unable to create enough clear chances to tip the balance of the match.

Manchester City could have gained the upper hand within the first ten minutes of the match. Bernardo Silva was on defensive duty, retrieving the ball from his own box to launch a long pass to Foden. Foden then flicked it to Erling Haaland who unexpectedly missed the mark in a one-on-one situation with the goal.

Immediately after, Ederson made a goal-saving stretch to turn away a long-distance shot from Milos Kerkez that threatened City's net.

The 24-minute mark saw City breaking the tie. Mateo Kovacic executed a tactful lob over the Bournemouth defenders, finding Haaland. Haaland's half-volley rebounded off Neto, straight into Foden's path who guided the ball into an undefended goal.

Following half-time, Bournemouth nearly levelled the scores. With a deflected cross from Antoine Semenyo who ran down the right side with speed, Marcus Tavernier had a scoring chance. But his skewed effort was timely cleared off by Ruben Dias.

Bournemouth continued to seek an equalising goal, with Tavernier missing a shot after a great performance from Dominic Solanke controlling the ball inside City's penalty area. The ball was almost over the line after a remarkable effort from Solanke, only to be denied by Ederson's stellar save from Tavernier's corner kick.

Despite several attempts, Haaland's run of missed opportunities continued, following a last-minute defensive slide from Kerkez.

As the match approached the six additional minutes, Bournemouth almost stood level thanks to Semenyo's cross to substitute Enes Unal. His header, however, bounced off the post. Manchester City endured the final six minutes to capture the crucial 3 points in the title race.

The individual performances in the Bournemouth squad included a less than satisfying performance from goalkeeper Neto who contributed to Foden's opening goal. Adam Smith managed to suppress Nunes whilst Illia Zabarnyi and Marcos Senesi had their respective defensive struggles. Milos Kerkez showed great energy down the left flank whilst Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie had a hard time standing out against City's midfield.

Despite Nathan Ake's shaky performance, Bournemouth failed to capitalize. Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert, and Marcus Tavernier each made their contribution, but it wasn't enough to tip the scales. Dominic Solanke was isolated in the first half but was more involved after the interval.

In the Manchester City team, goalkeeper Ederson performed a few key saves, Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias were solid in defense, and John Stones covered the most ground and initiated attacks for City. Despite a tough game, Nathan Ake managed to hold his ground.