- Man City failed to beat Bournemouth
- Result saw Arsenal win Premier League
- Disappointing end to decent season
Manchester City were not good enough at the Vitality Stadium, causing the Premier League title to slip away from their reach.
We’ve outlined three players who, despite the disappointments of Tuesday night, will have been pleased with their own performance.
Additionally, there are three other players who have absolutely nothing to shout about after the game.
Winners
Erling Haaland scored again for Man City
When does Erling Haaland ever not deliver? Five goals in his past five Premier League games, and an assist in the FA Cup final.
The centre forward has been phenomenal again this season, and he always seems to find the net, whether he is having a good or bad day.
Haaland’s finish was excellent, as his powerful strike could not have possibly been buried any further into the corner.
Savinho was Man City’s best substitute
Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki would have been expected to have the most impact from off the bench, but Savinho is the one who stood out the most.
The Brazilian looked confident on the ball, making a few decent dribbles and passes. And this was after a game where he scored against Crystal Palace.
Since Man City have nothing to play for against Aston Villa, perhaps Savinho will be handed a start by Pep Guardiola.
Gianluigi Donnarumma’s saves kept Man City in the game
Eli Junior Kropi beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a first half strike, but the Italian would have had to make a world class save to keep the ball from colliding with the net.
Donnarumma made a couple of saves in the second half. Should he have been making them? Yes, probably.
However, those saves kept City at a one-goal deficit, which gave them the platform to get up the pitch and score right at the end.
Losers
Rayan Cherki missed out for a third successive game
It seems Rayan Cherki has gone from starting all City’s matches to not starting any. The Frenchman has been left out of Guardiola’s team three times in a row now.
Cherki was introduced after 56 minutes against Bournemouth, but he failed to have any impact on the game.
There was a lot of hype surrounding the 22-year-old not so long ago, and that might have brought about pressure that he is struggling to cope with. Either that or he is just shattered.
Nico O’Reilly missed a golden opportunity
Haaland put O’Reilly through on goal for what was Man City’s best chance of the night, but he failed to convert it.
The England international has remained one of the club’s more energetic players, but his performances have not been so good in recent weeks.
O’Reilly may have been City’s hero in the Carabao Cup final, but that is already feeling like a long time ago now.
READ MORE: Five observations from Man City’s 1-1 draw against Bournemouth
Abdukodir Khusanov should have closed Kroupi down faster
Kropi’s goal was an act of pure brilliance. It is not as if Man City’s defending was especially bad in the build-up.
However, Khusanov could have done a better job at preventing the shot, as he was slow to exert pressure on the forward.
The 22-year-old has no shortage of pace and he usually enjoys a diving challenge, but this time around he was slow off the mark.
