Manchester City returned to winning ways this afternoon with a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

The champions took the lead through Sergio Aguero after less than 15 minutes and appeared to be cruising towards all three points when Raheem Sterling doubled that advantage shortly before half time.

However, a stunning free kick from Harry Wilson in first-half stoppage time gave Bournemouth hope until Aguero added his second of the afternoon with a sharp finish just past the hour mark.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how the match unfolded on a sunny afternoon on the south coast.

Match statistics

BOURNEMOUTH

Shots: 10
On target: 7
Possession: 26%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 7

MAN CITY

Shots: 19
On target: 5
Possession: 74%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 13

Was the result fair?

The history books will show that it is now nine Man City wins from nine Premier League editions of this fixture, but Bournemouth asked more questions of the champions than they have in many of those previous contests. Ederson was busy and had to make a couple of important one-on-one saves, without which Bournemouth may well have claimed their first point off Man City from the Premier League era.

City, as expected, enjoyed the lion's share of possession and deserved their win on the whole, but prior to their third goal things looked a lot less comfortable than the scoreline suggests.

Bournemouth's performance

Eddie Howe's side gave it a good go and it took some big saves from Ederson to keep them at bay, but ultimately they lost to the better team on the day. The hosts made a bright start to the match and registered a shot on target inside the opening minute, which is more than they managed throughout the full 90 minutes of the corresponding fixture last season.

As is to be expected against Man City, they spent spells on the back foot but always looked to play their own brand of football regardless and seemed to improve following a long stoppage after Charlie Daniels dislocated his knee.

The injury also allowed Harry Wilson to be introduced and his free kick was a thing of beauty, right in the postage stamp to leave even a goalkeeper of Ederson's quality no chance. There were more chances in the second half too, but Man City's third goal well and truly extinguished their hope and they were chasing shadows for much of the time after that.

Man City's performance

Bournemouth caused Man City a few problems at the back and things could have perhaps been different had a stricter referee been in charge, but Pep Guardiola's side were in control for the most part and always looked dangerous going forward.

Both first-half goals were a result of classic Man City moves, and it was no surprise to see their two main marksmen tuck the chances away, while Aguero was sharp in the box for the third too.

The third goal proved to be the killer as Man City expertly saw the game out, controlling possession and sapping the energy out of Bournemouth during the final half-hour to avoid any further scares. It was not quite a vintage City display, but they still had more than enough to win the match.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Sergio Aguero

The Argentine's brace brought up 400 career goals for club and country, and both were deadly finishes. There was an element of luck in each goal, with Kevin De Bruyne's miskick falling kindly for him and then Silva tripping over his own feet to leave the ball in an area for the Argentine to stab home, but ultimately it was that clinical edge which was the difference between the two sides.

David Silva also deserves a mention for a typically classy display on his 400th appearance for the club, while De Bruyne was instrumental in the performance too.

Player ratings

Bournemouth: Ramsdale 7; Smith 6 (Ibe 6), Mepham 6, Cook 6, Ake 6, Daniels 5 (H Wilson 7); King 6, Lerma 5, Billing 5, Fraser 6; C Wilson 6 (Solanke 6)

Man City: Ederson 7; Walker 6, Otamendi 6, Laporte 7, Zinchenko 6; De Bruyne 7, Gundogan 7 (Rodri 7), Silva 8; Bernardo 7 (Mahrez 6), Aguero 8, Sterling 7

Referee performance

This was a surprisingly feisty contest for Andre Marriner. The referee was lenient with a rash early challenge from Kyle Walker, who then did pick up a booking shortly afterwards, and also opted to show Ederson a yellow when the home fans were baying for red, although that was the correct decision despite the goalkeeper's poor challenge.

Man City had one penalty appeal turned down when David Silva took a tumble inside the box and, despite the replay showing that there was contact, VAR ruled that it was not a clear enough error to overturn the on-field decision.

What next?

Bournemouth: Bournemouth next turn their attention to EFL Cup duties, and a much less daunting home game against Forest Green Rovers.

Man City: The champions have a six-day break before hosting Brighton & Hove Albion in search of their first home win of the season.