'Absolutely pathetic' Gianluigi Donnarumma comes under fire as Man City goalkeeper flaps at cross leading to Tyler Adams goal for Bournemouth

City had been sitting comfortably on a 1-0 lead during their eventual 3-1 win over the Cherries with Erling Haaland’s 17th-minute opener putting them on their way to reclaiming second spot in the table. However, the high-flying visitors could not be written off and were soon back in the game, thanks in part to Donnarumma’s blunder.

After 25 minutes, Bournemouth won a corner and when Scott floated in a cross aimed towards the back post, the goalkeeper moved to meet it and cut out the danger. But when Donnarumma attempted to punch the ball away to safety, he missed it entirely. Bouncing favourably at the feet of Tyler Adams, the USMNT star made no mistake from close range to fire the ball into the back of the net.

Donnarumma protested furiously towards the referee, claiming he had been fouled when going for the ball. It was an absurd reaction, given the goalkeeper was not touched by any Bournemouth player, and led to City’s preferred choice between the sticks finding his way into Taylor’s book.

Football fans were quick to mock Donnarumma, whose feeble effort and subsequent complaining did little to cover himself in glory. One Arsenal fan, @chiddyafc, found humour at the rival player’s expense, posting on X: "Crying, nobody even touched Donnarumma. That's absolutely pathetic."

@Cbetgg joked: "Donnarumma thinks he's still in Ligue 1 to deny the goal with that contact."

Donnarumma has been criticised countless times in the past for some of his more glaring flaws. His ability with his feet and struggling to claim crosses have stood out for scrutiny on more than one occasion.

@Flaminiesta was seeing history repeat itself. "Donnarumma begging for a foul after flapping for a set piece, a tale as old as time," they said.

‘Dodgy’ was the phrase used to describe the man at fault for the goal. @IsmaillIlIlI tweeted: "Donnarumma is so dodgy at anything besides shot stopping." Meanwhile, @JAMES77458423 claimed that it was "terrible" that Donnarumma did not catch the ball. "He's really dodgy sometimes, not as good as people think," he added.

@RichyEvans19 agreed, asking: "Not for me to tell a world class keeper how to do his job, but why doesn’t Donnarumma catch that?"

Should Donnarumma make a habit of flapping at crosses that he should deal with, Pep Guardiola could wield the axe on the 26-year-old. There is strong competition for the number one spot at the Etihad, with James Trafford waiting in the wings to steal back the starting berth.

The Englishman was re-signed by City this summer after impressing in Burnley’s run to Premier League promotion, but lost his spot after a poor showing away to Brighton. The 23-year-old will still fancy himself to disrupt the pecking order and usurp Donnarumma as Guardiola’s favoured option.

It would be a point of deep frustration for Donnarumma, who despite being integral to PSG’s Champions League success, was sold in favour of the younger, French goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. Being replaced by Trafford would represent quite the fall from the man who was a mountain at the back of the European champions just six months ago.

Donnarumma’s blushes were spared momentarily after Haaland added his second of the game shortly after the Cherries went level. The hosts went into the break with a 2-1 lead and with a firm grip on the three points available. Nico O’Reilly added a third on the hour mark to ensure Donnarumma would not cost the hosts too dearly.

Donnarumma will be determined to bounce back against Dortmund on Wednesday as City aim to push up the league table and into those precious top eight spots.

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