Michael Beardmore, ` Sport
To punctuate a well-worn cliché, it’s not games like this that will determine Bournemouth’s Premier League fate this season.
Few will have expected them to take anything away from this game, but given the trouble they caused Manchester City when the result was in no doubt, there could be a tinge of regret.
Given the talent in the visiting ranks, it was understandable that the Cherries would go in an ultra-defensive formation, but was it just a little too cautious?
Finally, Bournemouth’s goal difference is almost beyond repair and City’s defense has proved more vulnerable this season than in previous years.
Nonetheless, there were plenty of positives for Gary O’Neil to take – both in terms of the never-say-that manner when his side showed all play and the bodies on the line that kept City’s defense down to just five shots confined to the gate.
Repeat that effort in the final 14 games of the season, particularly in their encounters with relegation rivals, and the Cherries will look to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
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