Man City silence Pep Guardiola critics three times in 45 minutes with ruthless Bournemouth response

This was a statement Manchester City performance, although maybe not in the traditional sense.

City were back to their ruthless best at Bournemouth and were able to keep the pressure on Arsenal, scoring four times to improve the mood around the club after a week of frustrations. Many criticisms have been levelled at City after the last two games, from their use of Erling Haaland to how many substitutions Pep Guardiola makes.

It seemed like City were on a mission to prove Guardiola right on various points one-by-one, ticking off a number of supposed weaknesses as though they were side-quests to the main objective of returning to winning ways and getting three points. It was well and truly accomplished at the Vitality Stadium.

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After three long away trips, a journey to Bournemouth was hardly ideal, and Guardiola had referenced the schedule as a possible reason for the two draws that preceded this game, with City supposedly playing poorly - even if Guardiola was more than happy with performances.

The City boss made three changes to his side, with Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and Rico Lewis back in the side, and all three justified their recalls within 15 minutes, all contributing towards giving the Blues the lead after a relatively even opening. Lewis had been targeted on the right, but his sliding tackle was perfect to win possession and set City on the way.

Ilkay Gundogan floated a lovely ball into the path of Foden, who cut back for Haaland and the striker's goal-bound shot was deflected onto the bar. Alvarez, following up, was in the right place to smash the rebound into the roof of the net and score the kind of poacher's goal that