Third and final change from City as Guardiola wastes a little time late on. Leaving the pitch to cheers from the City fans is Sterling, and it is Nolito who is given the one-minute run out from the bench.
90'
Three minutes of time have been signalled by the referee here so not a lot of time for Bournemouth to wait. Back to the drawing board again for Eddie Howe and his men, but if they can just tighten things up at the back they should be able to survive with the quality they possess going forward.
88'
Kolarov picks up the ball around 25 yards out and tries his luck with a distance strike which Boruc saves excellently. The deflection falls to Silva, who AGAIN forces the former Celtic and Southampton goalkeeper into the stop, but the Spaniard was offside anyway.
86'
Silva has been absolutely fantastic for City in the past 10 minutes or so as his expert command of the ball has completely taken out the intensity of any potential Bournemouth ascendancy. The home side simply cannot get the ball to mount any meaningful attacks, and the Spaniard has been a big reason for this.
84'
CITY HIT THE WOODWORK! Mings, goes on an ill-advised walkabout with the ball at his feet inside the Bournemouth box which allows Sane to pounce and win the ball in a dangerous area. The German then skips past Cook before having a crack at goal from five yards or so, but the attempt cannons off the underside of the bar! Full of venom, but no direction on that one.
82'
Very professional stuff from City at the moment as they attempt to run down this clock with some possession in the latter part of the pitch. Bournemouth are doing everything they can to press and press, but the legs are going.
80'
We are just into the last 10 minutes now and it promises to be a grandstand finish if Bournemouth continue to knock at the door of the City defence. On the flipside of that, though, comes the fact that the Citizens are being given increasingly more space in behind the defence.
78'
City are being pretty patient in their possession at the moment which is inviting the Bournemouth attackers to press them high up the pitch. To be fair to Guardiola's men, though, they don't appear to be lacking composure under the intense scrutiny, even if a Cherries goal would change the complexion of the game!
76'
M. Pugh enters the game and replaces J. Ibe.
Last throw of the dice from Howe as he makes his third and final change. Leaving the action is Ibe, who has had a few moments of real quality on the right wing, come off to be replaced by Marc Pugh for the last 15 minutes or so.
74'
A good period for the hosts at the moment as they have City camped inside their own defensive third. Fraser is bright again as he takes on the backline with a powerful run before releasing Daniels in behind, but Stones defends brilliantly to dash across and make the sliding block behind for the corner.
Minute
Description
72'
Where do Bournemoth go from here? As mentioned previously, they rallied against Everton to score a couple of late goals last week but if they flood men forward here they are going to be picked off by this City attack. Aguero, even though Mings got the final touch, has been buoyed by that second goal for the visitors.
70'
N. Otamendi enters the game and replaces Y. Touré.
Guardiola reacts quickly to his side going two goals ahead as he makes his second change of proceedings. Entering the action is Nicolas Otamendi and he will replace Toure, which will likely mean Fernandinho moving into his more favoured midfield position and Kolarov going to left-back.
69'
T. Mings is unfortunate, scores an own goal!
GOOOOAAAAALLLL FOR MAN CITY! They visitors double their lead! Sterling displays some excellent wing play as he twists and turns his way to the byline before firing a low cross to the front post. Aguero is amongst things, but the final touch comes off the despairing Mings who turns into his own net! Two-nil.
68'
H. Arter gets yellow.
Booking for Arter, and deservedly so as he attempts to completely take out Aguero down the right wing. If he had managed to catch the former Atletico Madrid man, that very well could have been red.
67'
SAAAAVE FROM CABALLERO! Afobe makes a decent run down the left channel and collects the ball to feet before dancing his way into the penalty area ominously. Arter eventually receives the pass and steps up to whip a cracking strike at the left corner, but the City goalkeeper is on hand to make the great stop!
65'
Whenever Aguero is injured, it usually takes him a couple of games to get back to his best. With a few matches starting as a substitute, rather than being injured, this time, it appears the same thing is happening has he has been a bit slugging in his pace and passing since being introduced. Clearly he needs to be kept match-fit, but as we all know he does have the quality to pop up with a goal.
64'
L. Sané gets yellow.
63'
The bookings have came thick and fast tonight and the latest guilty party is Sane who horrible rakes his studs down the back of Smith's heel around 30 yards out. The German sees yellow, and the Cherries get the free-kick in a pretty useful area.
61'
The Vitality Stadium faithful all let out a massive sigh of collective relief as Cook very nearly gets into a dodgy position at the back as he looks to dribble his way out of the penalty area. In the end, a lovely bit of composure from the defender, as well as a quick jink sideways, sees him evade the attentions of the predatory Aguero.
59'
Much better from City at the moment as they are regaining some of the dominance that served them well in the first half. De Bruyne in particular is finding his feet again but all the possession isn't necessarily coming with a lot of penetration as Aguero continues to look a bit isolated up top.
57'
R. Sterling gets yellow.
Sterling goes into the book now, apparently for a petulant kick-out at a Bournemouth player on the edge of the box. Looks like it may have been on King.
56'
A misplaced pass from Sagna allows King to pounce and interception possession after reading the play very well. He catalyses a Bournemouth counter forward with Afobe and Fraser both involved, but the latter finds himself completely outnumbered on the edge of the box as City recover well to clear.
54'
We get our first real glimpse of what Aguero can do since coming on as he shows superb strength to hold off the attentions of Arter before moving forward and nutmegging the defender. He gets into a shooting position and pulls the trigger, but a duo of deflections means Boruc isn't called into action between the sticks.
52'
Even though Bournemouth lost 6-3 last weekend, they did rally impressively towards the end of the match and it looks like Howe has given them the confidence to do so again here as they have been excellent since the start of the half. Can City weather the storm?
50'
Ibe has been prominent in these early stages on the second period as he relentlessly dribbles towards Fernandinho out of position at left-back. This time, he jinks beyond the Brazilian before reversing a teasing cross back into the danger area, but there are no team-mates waiting inside to smash home!
48'
Toure really needs to watch himself out there as even though he gets the ball in a tackle with Afobe, he does take a chunk of the man too which results in a Bournemouth free-kick. The referee takes into consideration the fact the Ivorian is already on a yellow as he decides not to produce another.
46'
The second period is under way!
45' +3
B. Afobe enters the game and replaces J. Wilshere.
Second substitution of the match from Eddie Howe and it is another forced one as Wilshere comes off. His replacement will be Benik Afobe which will probably mean the Cherries moving to a 4-4-2.
45' +2
City are controlling the ball pretty well at the moment but unfortunately for Bournemouth it appears they may be forced into ANOTHER change before half-time as Wilshere has been hobbling about uncomfortably since going in for a challenge with Silva in which he took a nasty knock to the ankle. Let's see if he can keep on going.
45'
A generous FIVE minutes of added time have been allocated by the referee which will be due to the injuries sustained by Jesus and Francis in this first half. The period is just winding down though so we probably won't see too much action.
43'
Mings pops a lovely pass down the left wing to the feet of Daniels, who takes the touch in before feeding a pass in behind the full-back. Fraser speedily gallops into the box and gets in the touch in just before the foot of Kolarov, but the Serbia international ends up defending well to block behind for the corner.
41'
Just under five minutes to go in the first half and City look poised to head into the break with the narrow lead intact. Indeed, if anyone is going to score before the half-time oranges it looks more likely to be them to extend the lead than Bournemouth to equalise.
39'
Sane moves into a more central area this time and attempts to thread a neat pass in behind the Bournemouth defence for Aguero, who bursts a gut to try and get on the end of it. Cook comes in with the slide tackle to intercept but is forced to concede the corner-kick in the process.
37'
Sagna joins in the attack down the right wing and uses the run of Sterling as a shield to get the cross into the box. Aguero meets it, but it is a horrible miscue from the Argentine as his first-time volleyed attempt goes horribly high and wide over the crossbar. Not his best.
35'
Guardiola is screaming at Toure to get back into position during a set-piece, and as Bournemouth take it the ball very nearly gets through to King which is where the Ivorian was supposed to be. Luckily for him, Caballero comes off his line to claim out of the air.
33'
With teams who both play pretty attractive football, you wouldn't have guessed this game to be a hard-fought kind of battle, but the sets of players are really going for it with the tackles flying. There does indeed seem to be no love lost out there, with each refereeing decision fuelling the fire!
31'
GOOOOAAAALLLLL FOR BOURNEMOUTH! WAIT! NO! FOUL! The hosts almost make the perfect recovery from going a goal behind as King brilliantly whips a first-time finish into the corner, but this came AFTER pulling back Stones when trying to make his way into the box. Good decision in the end!
29'
R. Sterling has scored a goal for Manchester City!
GOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLL FOR MAN CITY! THE VISITORS OPEN THE SCORING! Silva is awarded too much space on the left channel which allows him to fire a low cross into the centre of the box. Cook attempts to clear, but only manages to send the ball straight to Sterling who converts at the back post! One-nil.
28'
SUPERB BLOCK FROM COOK! Sane takes advantage of the defender slipping inside the box which allows him to move square before setting up Sterling who takes the touch before firing the half-volley at goal. Cook makes the brave interception, while Boruc also manages to deny De Bruyne on the rebound!
26'
R. Fraser gets yellow.
Fraser is the latest player to see yellow, and deservedly so as he cynically hacks down De Bruyne on the right touchline.
25'
A good period of sustained pressure from Bournemouth at the moment as they probe for an opening around the City box. The hosts string a few passes and possession eventually comes to Wilshere who attempts to pull the trigger from 20 yards, but Stones makes the brave block on the strike.
23'
T. Mings enters the game and replaces S. Francis.
Tyrone Mings comes on for Francis.
22'
Like City, Bournemouth may also have to make an early substitution as it appears Francis has picked up an injury. Not exactly what you want to see after just 22 minutes of play!
21'
The Bournemouth fans DEMAND a penalty from the referee as they believe the ball has just bounced off the arm of Toure, but the protests are speculative at best and the official shares this view as he quickly waves play on.
19'
SUPERB GOALKEEPING FROM CABALLERO! Ibe picks up possession on the right this time and goes on a marauding run forward before exchanging a tight one-two with Wilshere on the edge of the box. He just manages to burst into the area but the City goalkeeper proactively comes off his line to make the vital interception with his feet.
17'
Fraser collects the ball on the left touchline and opens up his stride with a speedy, jinking run into space. He eventually attempts to whip a cross into the area, but Sagna is no slouch in the retreat and successfully gets back to make the block out for a throw-in.
15'
S. Agüero enters the game and replaces Gabriel Jesus.
That injury to Jesus has just interrupted the flow of the game slightly as both sides attempt to find their feet again after the small rest. Aguero certainly looks eager to impress from the bench, which does not bode well for Bournemouth who have been allowing goals to flood in as of late.
14'
Nope, Jesus won't be able to continue, but Aguero is not exactly a bad replacement, is he?
12'
Some worrying scenes for City at the moment as Jesus is currently down injured, seemingly after taking a knock to the ankle from the defender after trying to get on the end of a cross. Sergio Aguero is getting ready on the touchline, but the newly-signed Brazilian may just try and solider on if the management allow.
10'
Y. Touré gets yellow.
First booking of the match and it is an early one for Toure as he needlessly scythes down Arter just outside the centre circle. He'll be walking a disciplinary tightrope for the majority of the play now.
9'
De Bruyne is sharp to win the ball in the middle of the pitch before firing a pass down the channel for Sterling. The former Liverpool man displays an impressive bit of fight and pace to burst beyond Daniels to get the cross into the box for Jesus, but Francis is alert to the danger and comes across to make the vital interception.
7'
You would struggle to find a more versatile player in the Premier League than Fernandinho at the moment. The Brazilian usually features as a defensive midfielder only to be deployed at right full-back in recent matches, and tonight he is actually on the left of the four-man backline.
5'
A cracking start to proceedings here at the Vitality as both teams are trying to implement a high-tempo to their passing in the early stages. What is clear from the opening five minutes is that Bournemouth are determined to press the City defence and goalkeeper as much as possible, likely in an effort to combat the visitors playing out patiently from the back.
3'
Tonight we are witnessing two of the most high scoring teams in the league face off, so that would suggest we should see plenty of goals. Hope this hasn't been the commentator's curse, but with the attacking talent on show we will surely see the net bulge a few times?!
1'
We are under way at the Vitality Stadium!
Good evening football fans! Welcome to Monday Night Football as Bournemouth take on Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League.
Since the turn of the year, Pep Guardiola has found himself under increasing pressure as City boss, with his team's championship assault seemingly over thanks to their 11-point deficit to Chelsea at the summit of the table. However, if they can secure the victory tonight they will move into second in the Premier League – hardly the position of a team currently in turmoil.
The low point of Manchester City's season was arguably the humbling 4-0 away defeat at the hands of Everton, but since that loss they are unbeaten in four, through to the next round of the FA Cup, and have won their last two league fixtures against West Ham and Swansea respectively. A major part of the upturn in form can be attributed to Gabriel Jesus, who has hit the ground running superbly since his January move from Palmeiras, scoring three goals in three appearances.
The last clash between the Cherries and Man City took place in the middle of September earlier in this campaign. On that occasion at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola's charges ran out comfortable 4-0 victors thanks to goals from Kevin de Bruyne, Kelechi Iheanacho, Raheem Sterling, and Ilkay Gundogan, in a result which extended City''s overall unbeaten record against Bournemouth in the league.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, have drastically dropped off in their form since the middle of January and now, despite a very positive first half of the season, find themselves just six points clear of the dropzone. The poor results have came thick and fast since the disappointing FA Cup knockout at the hands of Millwall, and they were compounded last week when Everton took them for six in a 6-3 defeat at Goodison Park.
Half-time at the Vitality Stadium. It has been an enthralling Premier League encounter so far and it is Manchester City who have edged things so far as they go into the break with a 1-0 lead over Bournemouth thanks to a goal from Raheem Sterling. Three changes have been forced (one for City and two for Bournemouth) so the players should take advantage of the half-time rest!
Full-time at the Vitality Stadium. Manchester City move to second in the Premier League thanks to a relatively comfortable 2-0 away victory against Bournemouth, with a strike from Raheem Sterling and an own-goal from Tyrone Mings sealing the vital three points. Only negative for the visitors is an injury to Gabriel Jesus who went off with a knock in the first half. Thanks for joining us, see you next time.
Commentary
More…