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Ilkay Gundogan lauds Erling Haaland and Manchester City's relentless desire to score goals

Ilkay Gundogan lauds Erling Haaland and Manchester City's relentless desire to score goals

Manchester City skipper Ilkay Gundogan has hailed Erling Haaland and his side's attacking prowess following their 4-0 win over Bournemouth.

Manchester City skipper Ilkay Gundogan has hailed Erling Haaland and his side's attacking prowess following their 4-0 win over Bournemouth.

The Premier League champions registered their second win of the league season after beginning their title defence with a 2-0 victory away at West Ham on the opening day of the campaign.

Goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and an own goal from Jefferson Lerma did the damage for Pep Guardiola's side on the return of Premier League action to the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City vs Bournemouth
Manchester City vs Bournemouth

Guardiola made just one change to the lineup against the Cherries as Riyad Mahrez slotted in at right wing at the expense of Jack Grealish.

Bernardo Silva started the game on the bench as speculation looms over the Portugal international's future in Manchester amid interest from Barcelona.

Kalvin Phillips was ruled out of the tie with injury and Julian Alvarez replaced Erling Haaland late on to get his first taste of the Etihad faithful.

Erling Haaland after scoring Man City's second goal
Erling Haaland after scoring Man City's second goal

After netting a clinical brace on his Premier League debut at the London Stadium on matchday one, all eyes were on Erling Haaland ahead of Saturday's clash.

The 22-year-old has impressed since his £51 million arrival from Borussia Dortmund, scoring in a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in pre-season.

Starting alongside fellow boyhood blue Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez in attack against Scott Parker's men, Haaland delivered a glimpse of the hold-up aspects of his attacking play that could bode well for City in the years to come.

Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland

The Norwegian failed to get on the scoresheet himself against Bournemouth but impressed throughout with his positioning and ability to drag defenders towards him and in turn create space for others.

City's opener came when Haaland played a clever give-and-go with Ilkay Gundogan, who finished well to cap off a fine move made in Dortmund.

In an interview with BBC Radio Manchester after the win, Gundogan said: "He (Haaland) is bringing us to a whole new dimension, bringing us a whole new quality, and he's going to score a lot of goals."

Gundogan starred for the Sky Blues against West Ham and once again justified his selection as he orchestrated play in the middle of the park for City alongside Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne.

Ilkay Gundogan (Twitter)
Ilkay Gundogan (Twitter)

The Manchester City club captain, who has less than 12 months remaining on his contract, added: "We are very privileged and please to have him (Haaland).

"He's not just a great footballer, he's also a great character. Today he assisted me one, so I'll try to assist him many more in the future."

The 31-year-old was further quizzed about City's relentless desire to add to the scoresheet regardless of the numbers on the board.

"Well, I think that's respect to the game," Gundogan said. "It is who we are, and we feel like it's also our responsibility to try to maintain throughout the whole game on a top level."

Featured Image Credit: Twitter

Topics: Manchester City, Premier League, Erling Haaland, Bournemouth, Pep Guardiola, Ilkay Gundogan