PLAYER RATINGS: Phil Foden and Ilkay Gundogan shine for Man City in Bournemouth win

Manchester City hit back in the title race as they thrashed Bournemouth 4-1 at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday night.

Having been under pressure heading into the game – with Arsenal going five points clear at the top of the table after beating Leicester earlier today – City were rampant from the start as they dominated the game.

Julian Alvarez opened the scoring after Erling Haaland’s shot bounced off the crossbar, before Haaland doubled their lead from close range.

Phil Foden made it three as he pounced on an error from Philip Billing and then an own goal from Chris Mepham put City 4-0 ahead early in the second half, before Jefferson Lerma netted a consolation goal late-on.

Following the clash, Sportsmail has rated both teams’ players… 

Pep Guardiola’s side came into the game under pressure, having drawn two games in a week

BOURNEMOUTH (5-4-1) 

Neto – The Cherries’ No 1 could do nothing with any of City’s goals and he made some good saves throughout the clash. He was also comfortable with his feet to start Bournemouth attacks. 6.5

Adam Smith – It was a tough night for all of Bournemouth’s defenders, but Smith did his best to ensure Grealish had a relatively quiet night before he was subbed. 5.5

Jack Stephens – A tricky night for the Southampton loanee having to deal with two world class strikers. 5

Chris Mepham – A game to forget for Mepham with his unfortunate own goal. He was also caught out for City’s second when Gundogan ran in behind, before being booked for cynically bringing down Grealish. 4

It was bad night for Chris Mepham who scored an own goal and was caught out defensively

Jordan Zemura (L) looked good going forward but he switched off at the back for two goals

Marcos Senesi – City mainly attacked down their right-hand side and Bournemouth’s left-sided centre-back found it tough. 5 

Jordan Zemura – The 23-year-old looked bright going forward but he switched off for two of City’s goals as he was caught on the wrong side of Foden. 5

Dango Ouattara – Probably Bournemouth’s brightest spark in attack and left Phillips in his wake during one move. Outtara continues to impress since his January move from Lorient. 6 

Philip Billing – A nightmare moment for Foden’s goal as he played a disastrous pass that cost the Cherries. 5

Jefferson Lerma – Struggled to deal with City’s top class midfield, although he scored a late consolation with a fine finish. 5.5

Hamed Traore – Worked tirelessly at both ends of the pitch but failed to have much of an impact. 6

Dominic Solanke – Did his best to make his presence felt but City’s centre-backs enjoyed a comfortable evening. 5

SUBSTITUTES

Ryan Fredericks – Was positive in his play down the right after coming on and helped to ensure Bournemouth ended the game with some positive momentum. 6

Joe Rothwell – The midfielder was tidy in possession when he came on as he continues to get more minutes after recovering from an injury suffered in pre-season. 6

Jaidon Anthony – N/A

Dango Ouattara was Bournemouth’s brightest spark in attack and he continues to impress

Jefferson Lerma struggled to cope with City’s midfield but scored with a fine finish late on

MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-4)

Ederson – City’s No 1 was his usual self and made a couple of tricky saves look comfortable in the first half. 6.5

Rico Lewis – The 18-year-old continues to impress in his hybrid role from right-back to filling in in the midfield, showing a maturity beyond his years. He also put in a fantastic tackle to start the move for Alvarez’s opener. 7.5

Manuel Akanji – Another solid outing from the Swiss defender at the back who dealt with Bournemouth’s front-line with ease. 7

Ruben Dias – City’s defence just looks so much more solid with the dominant Portuguese defender and he put in some important blocks. 7.5

Nathan Ake – Did no harm to his reputation as City’s most reliable defender this season. Also received a warm reception on his return to his former club. 7

Nathan Ake impressed again and he received a warm reception from Bournemouth fans

Ilkay Gundogan pulled the strings for City in the first half from an advanced midfield role

Rodri – The Spaniard was as solid as ever sweeping up in midfield and starting attacks. He also received a well-earned rest when he was subbed after 55 minutes. 6.5

Ilkay Gundogan – Ran the show in midfield in the first half, as Lewis inverted alongside Rodri. This gave Gundogan licence to play in a more attacking role and he helped to create City’s first two goals. 8

Phil Foden – It’s been a tough spell for City’s ‘diamond’ as Guardiola called him this week, but he looked back to his best today as he caused all sorts of problems from his role high on the right of the front-line. 8

Julian Alvarez – Surely the world’s best ‘back-up striker’ and – after being handed a rare start – the Argentine impressed again, scoring once before causing Mepham’s own goal. 7.5

Erling Haaland – Netted his 27th Premier League goal of the season. Haaland is a phenomenon. 7

Jack Grealish – Having been one of City’s best players over recent weeks, Grealish had a quieter night, but he still managed to cause the Cherries problems. 6.5

SUBSTITUTES

Kalvin Phillips – His longest Premier League appearance of the season at 35 minutes, it was good to see Phillips back out on the pitch. 6 

Sergio Gomez – Slotted in fine to midfield and then left-back as Guardiola rested key players, although he was guilty of wildly shooting when he should have passed late in the game. 6

Riyad Mahrez – Looked bright in his brief run out, although he blasted a free-kick over with the final kick off the game. 6

Maximo Perrone – A great moment for the highly-rated 20-year-old when he came on his City debut after joining from Argentine side Vélez Sarsfield for £8m in January. 6

Kyle Walker – N/A

Erling Haaland scored his 27th Premier League goal this season to continue his fine campaign 

Phil Foden showed signs of being back to his best and caused Bournemouth several problems