Man City tensions rise but Phil Foden drives Premier League title chase on vs Bournemouth

After listening to a trumpeter belt out The Great Escape before kick-off, Manchester City breathed a huge sigh of relief at the end of their 1-0 win over Bournemouth.

The scorebook may record it as a routine victory for the Premier League champions but in reality it was anything but. A slick first-half showing grew scratchier as the hosts ramped up the pressure in the second half and Pep Guardiola and his side were left hanging onto what they will hope proves to be a precious three points.

Guardiola regularly exerted frustration on the touchline at the decisions from his players not to go forwards. Guardiola would be the first to say that patience is required when building attacks, yet Mateo Kovacic and Manu Akanji were among those who drew complaints from the dugout for opting for caution over risk.

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If that is not such an unusual sight, seeing Rodri and Ruben Dias go at each other in the 79th-minute as City tried to absorb waves of Bournemouth pressure is certainly a collector's item. Guardiola had just savaged substitute Julian Alvarez for being in the wrong position, and Bournemouth fed on the City disarray.

Marcus Tavernier should have levelled the game early in the second half only to miscue straight to Dias after Nathan Ake had been skinned by Antoine Semenyo, and the forward then fired wide from a Dominic Solanke setback. As time ticked on, former City player Enes Unal went closest to getting it past Ederson when his header in the 90th minute bounced just wide of the goal.

An away end that had spent the first half singing jubilantly about the state of neighbours United - who lost at home to Fulham