Bournemouth fans have every reason to be thrilled after their victory over the Premier League champions, as Manchester City is rarely the target of such celebrations. Andoni Iraola’s team will need to use this victory as motivation moving forward.
City’s first league defeat of the season highlighted their current struggles. Pep Guardiola’s squad had already lost to Spurs in the cup midweek, ending their unbeaten streak.
Despite Arsenal’s loss to Newcastle earlier, City seemed determined not to take the championship race lightly, even after falling 2-1, with Josko Gvardiol scoring a consolation goal.
While the home side may not have wanted the victory more, they certainly worked harder for it—something not typically associated with a Guardiola team. City’s performance was lackluster, reflecting their current state.
Although Guardiola expressed significant dissatisfaction from the sidelines, he remained composed regarding his team’s ongoing issues.
Guardiola’s frustration has grown with an injury list that doesn’t seem to improve. He has stated that his players must push through their injuries, but even with Jeremy Doku, Kyle Walker, and Kevin De Bruyne returning for the match against Bournemouth, John Stones and Ruben Dias were added to the list of absentees.
Injuries are not unique to City, but they are compounded by the small squad size that Guardiola prefers. Since 2018, players have averaged over 60 games per season, and at the Vitality Stadium, four of City’s top players—Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, and Ederson—were in the starting lineup, which isn’t new for them.
Navigating these challenges is tough, especially on a rainy day against a Bournemouth side that has previously beaten Arsenal this season.
Iraola has raised their performance levels, and it was no shock when Bournemouth celebrated their first goal shortly after Ederson made a remarkable double save in the second minute.
To the delight of their supporters, Milos Kerkez surged past Foden, and Antoine Semenyo held off Josko Gvardiol to curl the ball into the far corner. City players were just a fraction too slow to react, but that could not serve as an excuse.
City has often found itself falling behind this season, but they have also shown resilience by capitalizing on their opportunities.
However, in this match, it took them longer than usual to break down Bournemouth’s defense, often finding themselves exposed instead. Whenever City managed to create a promising opportunity, it quickly vanished with one or two swift Bournemouth passes.
A telling moment came when Walker lost possession to Semenyo after a brief spell of pressure and then fouled him out of frustration. Guardiola signaled to his bench for changes, but Nathan Ake couldn’t continue, leaving Rico Lewis to step in.
It felt like a day when City’s issues were insurmountable, as they were already 2-0 down by the time Evanilson scored from a Kerkez cross in the second half.
During a tense stoppage time, Bournemouth’s celebrations quieted as Gvardiol scored a spectacular header to add some excitement to the final minutes. However, City likely lacked the energy to protest the outcome of the match.
