Bournemouth boss Gary O'Neil gives verdict on 'ruthless' Man City side amid Arsenal title race

Bournemouth manager Gary O'Neil believes his side put up a good performance against Manchester City but were ruthlessly punished for first-half mistakes.

City continued to heap pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday, cruising to a 4-1 win at the Vitality Stadium. Pep Guardiola's side were 3-0 up and flying by half-time, pouncing twice on mistakes in possession from the home side to see both Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden net alongside Erling Haaland.

The Blues grabbed a fourth when Chris Mepham deflected Alvarez's shot into his own net before a hint of complacency allowed the Cherries to pull one back and create a couple more chances themselves - an issue Guardiola will be far from happy to see.

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Questioned on what his side could have done, O'Neil said: "Not pass to them twice in the first half would have been a good one. I thought it was a decent performance. We got punished for a couple of mistakes. I thought we were on the front foot.

"Apart from the scoreline, I thought it was uncomfortable for Manchester City. They turned the ball over more than usual. We pressed well. I thought we gave it a real good go. We got heavily punished for a couple of our mistakes.

"We didn't make the most of our opportunities. We arrived in decent situations a lot. It took us a very long time to score a goal from that. There were lots to be positive about."

After the three points were secured, Guardiola urged his players towards the away end at the Vitality Stadium, where they stayed for much longer than usual to show their appreciation for the travelling support.

"When the fans come five or six hours to come here, pay for a ticket, on [much] less than our