Donnarumma's Challenge and Cherki's Impact in City Match

Gianluigi Donnarumma could only watch Bournemouth’s opener flash past him, but the goalkeeper kept City in the contest with two big moments. He reacted sharply to push away Justin Kluivert’s low strike and then clawed out Daniel Jebbison’s clever flicked header. Solid when exposed, but left with no chance for the goal. Rating: 6

Rico Lewis stepped inside from right-back and tried to knit things together in midfield. He even forced an early save with a driven effort. After that, his influence dipped. The intent was there, the execution wasn’t, and he made way before the hour. Rating: 5

Abdukodir Khusanov endured a difficult moment for the opener. He missed his challenge on Rayan in the build-up and never recovered his position, leaving the defence exposed. That lapse set the tone for an uneasy outing. Rating: 5

New captain Ruben Dias will not enjoy the replay of Bournemouth’s goal either. He misjudged a long ball over the top and failed to get his head to it, allowing the move to develop. For a player of his stature, it was a rare but costly error. Rating: 5

Josko Gvardiol drifted through much of the game in that familiar tactical blur: left-back, centre-back, somewhere in between. For Bournemouth’s strike he was nowhere near the danger zone. Then came stoppage time. Arriving when it mattered, the Croatian kept his composure and buried a cool injury-time winner to flip the narrative. Rating: 7

Marc Guehi, usually a pillar at centre-back, found himself repurposed as a holding midfielder. It looked makeshift, but he still produced a crucial late equaliser, timing his run and finish well. With Ayyoub Bouaddi on the way, this midfield experiment may prove short-lived, yet he left a mark on the scoreboard. Rating: 6

Club-record signing Elliot Anderson covered huge swathes of grass and gave a glimpse of why the club invested in him. He read danger, stepped in to break up play and worked tirelessly. The final ball and attacking spark can sharpen, but the foundations looked promising. Rating: 6

Antoine Semenyo arrived off a bright pre-season but never quite caught fire here. He struggled to stamp his authority, drifted in and out of the game and rarely troubled Bournemouth’s back line. Rating: 5

Nico O’Reilly operated as the number 10, tasked with unlocking the defence. Clear chances, though, were scarce. His creative touches didn’t quite come off and, with the game drifting, he was withdrawn on the hour. Rating: 5

Phil Foden started like he owned the pitch. He saw plenty of the ball early, knitted play together and produced a delightful flick to set up Lewis’ chance. Then his influence waned, the spark dimmed and he faded from proceedings before being taken off late on. Rating: 5

Erling Haaland, sporting a sharp new haircut, endured a night to forget in front of goal. From a couple of yards out in the first half, he somehow contrived to miss a sitter. After the break, he blazed one over and scuffed another wide. The work rate remained, but the finishing touch deserted him. Has he left his superpowers on the barbershop floor? Rating: 5

Substitutes

Matheus Nunes (on 56, Lewis) slipped into midfield without ever truly grabbing hold of it. Kept things tidy but offered little of note in either direction. Rating: 5

Rayan Cherki (on 62, O’Reilly) changed everything. His introduction jolted City to life, his creativity and sharpness immediately unsettling Bournemouth. Two assists underlined his impact and turned the match on its head. On this evidence, he will expect – and surely deserves – to start at Crystal Palace on Friday. Rating: 8

Mateo Kovacic (on 62, Anderson) brought control and experience, but the question lingered: should he have started in midfield instead of Guehi? His cameo was steady rather than spectacular. Rating: 5

Jack Grealish (on 82, Foden) had limited time to influence the contest and never really got up to full speed. Rating: 5