Raheem Sterling’s scrambled last-gasp winner gave Manchester City the points with a 2-1 Premier League victory against AFC Bournemouth on England’s south coast yesterday.
Sterling’s joy was short-lived, though, as he was shown a second yellow card, resulting in a red, for going into the crowd to celebrate his goal — his second in a week.
A Charlie Daniels screamer gave Bournemouth the lead after 13 minutes, but City were level eight minutes later when Gabriel Jesus, preferred to Sergio Aguero, poked home.
Photo: AP
Both sides struck the woodwork after the break — Josh King for Bournemouth and Nicolas Otamendi for City — and Bournemouth seemed set for their first point of the season.
However, seven minutes into stoppage-time Sterling linked up with Danilo in the area and his weakly-hit shot took a deflection on its way past a helpless Asmir Begovic.
Sterling, who scored City’s leveler in a 1-1 draw against Everton on Monday, ran to the City fans who spilled over barriers with police moving in to restore order.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur are still getting used to calling Wembley home, but need a sharp improvement as Burnley prepare to visit today.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side struggled at England’s national stadium when playing European home fixtures there last season, and have so far fared no better in the Premier League.
Chelsea’s 2-1 victory on Sunday last week means Spurs have lost eight of their past 11 matches at Wembley, their home for the season as White Hart Lane is rebuilt and expanded.
Even though the performance was good in the Chelsea match, defeat was a setback for Tottenham, who had looked comfortable in winning 2-0 against Newcastle United on the opening weekend.
They will certainly be wary of a Burnley side who beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their opening match, although they lost 1-0 at home to West Bromwich Albion last weekend.
“I think we know each other very well and they were good against Chelsea, but struggled against West Brom,” Pochettino said. “One thing is sure: They will be motivated to play at Wembley against us. For us it is important to play well. It will be tough.”
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