This wasn't vintage, or the usual silk and guile associated with this exuberant Manchester City team. Instead, the champions were forced into a more dogmatic approach to get over the line with a crucial 1-0 win against AFC Bournemouth here on the south coast.

Did Pep Guardiola really care how his team got the job done? Is the Spaniard in any position to demand flamboyance in every one of his performances when the threat of Liverpool is so unquantifiable and the margin for error so small?

In short, no. The Premier League winning manager lauded this performance as "one of the best performances we’ve ever played" as he was spotted at full-time punching the air - his face full of glee.

There was no need for a 97th-minute winner as opposed to the reverse fixture last-season perhaps showcasing City's maturity over the last year to win even when not at their eye-watering best.

The important factor is that the Citizens secured their 16th win in their last 17 matches. The visitors did so with their third successive clean sheet and their second consecutive 1-0 league win.

However, this didn't come with its costs with City losing more bodies as we come up to the crunch time period of the season. Both Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones hobbled off adding to the managers growing injury headaches.

The Belgian made way on the stroke of half-time for substitute and goalscorer Riyad Mahrez with the Algerian repaying his managers faith in opting for the club's record signing instead of Leroy Sane.

The hosts have a notoriously shoddy tendency for conceding early with the Cherries leaking a goal inside the first three minutes of the second half in three of their last four games.

It wasn't quite the formality as recent events with CIty taking their time to open to scoring - well 10 minutes. The goal was orchestrated by the outstanding duo David and Bernado Silva who both preyed on the host's inability to clear the danger before the Spaniard slid in Mahrez who toe-poked home.

It wasn't quite the gift-wrapped penalty with a nicely presented red ribbon that Guardiola's side were awarded on Wednesday but the importance of Mahrez's strike was just as significant.

City have now opened up a two-point lead at the summit of the league table with league leaders Liverpool awaiting a Merseyside derby against Everton on Sunday.

It was Eddie Howe's first home defeat in five home league games with the Cherries losing every Premier League fixture they've encountered with the Citizens.

The Story of the game

With Spurs dropping more points at Wembley this afternoon it was the perfect opportunity for the champions to stronghold their grip on their crown as well as reaffirm this title chase as a two-horse race between the countries two standout teams this campaign.

The Citizens made four changes to the team that snuck past West Ham 1-0 and were still without their indispensable midfield conductor Fernandinho who sustained an injury in last week's Carabao Cup final victory.

The visitors travelled to the south coast having won seven of their top-flight meetings against the Cherries with City leading with a gargantuan 24-3 score on aggregate.

City's official Twitter account chose "the chase continues" as their message ahead of kick-off with the visitors playing catch-up as opposed to last campaign when their title parade was an unquestioned formality.

Early proceedings bared very similarly to that at the Etihad on Wednesday night with the Citizens enjoying large chunks of possession but struggling to break down the hosts who set up in a 4-5-1.

Oleksandr Zinchenko impressed once again on the left making the full-back position his own in recent weeks. The Ukrainian from the off let his presence to Ryan Fraser known with a firm nudge of authority.

The visitors enjoyed a staggering 83 per cent of the ball but couldn't exploit holes in the impressive defensive set-up Howe had his players operating.

Aguero was the visitors main attacking focal point but enjoyed little chances with virtually two players on the Argentine every time he touched the ball.

Ilkay Gundogan first lofted a ball into the path the offside striker before Zinchenko whipped in a left-footed swinger that forced Ake to clear.

B. Silva and De Bruyne were enjoying acres of freedom on the right-hand side and the Belgian's pullback presented the best chance of the initial half finding D. Silva who stroked wide with his left foot.

Otamendi attempted an impressive acrobatic scissor kick that flew just over the crossbar. De Bruyne continued to harass Ake on the right and dispossessed the Dutchman and then presented a one-two with B. Silva before his cut-back cleared by Chris Mepham.

De Bruyne was withdrawn before the break and was replaced by Mahrez. Stones also limped off seconds into the second-period being replaced by Citizens club-captain Vincent Kompany.

It wasn't to be the dream afternoon for former City academy graduate David Brooks who enjoyed 10 years as an academy graduate in Manchester as the young Scot returned from injury only to hobble off at the beginning of the second-half.

The visitors were continuing to knock on the door as Jack Simpson was forced into backheel clearance denied the imminent Sterling.

It should have really been a sign of things to come for the hosts with the opener occurring moments later.

D. Silva picked up a lobbed ball of the edge of the box and controlled expertly to find B. Silva who was dispossessed only for the ball to fall back into the path of the Spaniard who slid in Mahrez to toe-poke past Boric at the keepers near post.

The home support had been rather patient with some of the questionable decisions from referee Kevin Friend and Vitality Stadium were calling for the officials head when Walker brought down Ryan Fraser only for the 47-year-old official to wave away and force a City counter-attack that had the electrifying Raheem Sterling darting goalbound.

Boruc was guilty of being beaten far too easy for the City opener but the Polish shot-stopped atoned for his sins with an improvised stop after charging off his line to stop Sterling. The save did present a chance for Mahrez who ballooned over the bar.

Cheers rang around the ground taunting the referee when Nicolas Otamendi was booked for a handball from a corner.

There was to be no late calvary for the hosts with City forcing the only real chances as the clocked continued to count down. Boruc was beaten once Aguero lofted a cross at goal that rattled off the crossbar and was cleared by Ake.

The host's frustration reached boiling point when Guardiola was forced intervene and break up a brawl between Kyle Walker and Joshua King after the right-back cynically brought down the Englishman before the handbags came out from both players.

It proved to be the final drama as the champions held on for the three points to leapfrog them to the top with Guardiola once again fist pumping the air in front of the adoring Citizen supporters. One thing is for sure, City continue to prove they won't give up their crown lightly.

Takeaway's from the match

Impregnable City
If City can be held accountable for not being at their devastating best in terms of ripping teams to shreds then credit must be highlighted for the technical high standards Guardiola holds his players to.

City enjoyed 82 per cent of the ball and never let the hosts have a sniff. Cherries manager Howe said in his post-match comments that his team were preying on the visitors mistakes. The reality is, not one of them came.

The champions only faced one shot on target with Ederson untroubled all afternoon. It was City's third consecutive clean sheet with the team becoming the masters in grinding out crucial results.

Bernado Silva dazzling

Surely a contender for PFA Player of the Year. The Portuguese sensation was dazzling yet again for his team. His elegance and balance are a joy to behold. The former Monaco man was City's best player on the day and was the player they turned to keep everything ticking.

Silva's link-up play with his fellow Silva, David was breathtaking at times with the duo seeing more touches than any players on the pitch. It was the pairs innovation that secured City the breakthrough and Guardiola even lauded the player as the "best in the league" let alone his own team. Simply sensational!

Bournemouth's home record shattered

While the Cherries have a notoriously abysmal away record, at home they are a different beast. From dismantling Chelsea to pushing the champions to the depths of their physical limits, just why can't this team replicate these performances on the road?

The defeat today ended their five-game unbeaten home record. Howe was also impressed with his defensive unit who all impressed despite a number of his players barely into their Bournemouth careers. It was the perfect response to Wednesday's embarrassment at the Emirates and there were certainly foundations for the manager to build on today.

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