Man City's 32-game unbeaten run ended by Bournemouth as Semenyo stars

Manchester City's Erling Haaland after the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth (Image: 2024 PA Media, All Rights Reserved)

Manchester City's impressive 32-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League was brought to a halt by Bournemouth, who put on a stellar performance to defeat the champions 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium.

City hadn't tasted defeat in the league since their loss to Aston Villa on December 6 last year. However, from the get-go on the south coast, Andoni Iraola's side proved they were up for the challenge, with their relentless energy and hard work paying off through goals from Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson.

At times, it seemed as though Bournemouth would leave City in the dust. Marcus Tavernier hit the post at 2-0, leaving Pep Guardiola's team hanging on by a thread, before Josko Gvardiol set up a tense finale by heading in Ilkay Gundogan's cross.

Guardiola had warned his players that they would need to play through the pain due to the team's injury woes. As such, Gvardiol, Kyle Walker and Manuel Akanji all started, despite being doubtful.

Kevin De Bruyne was only fit enough for the bench, where he was joined by three teenagers without a single Premier League appearance among them.

Bournemouth players celebrate victory after the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth (Image: 2024 PA Media, All Rights Reserved)

John Stones and Ruben Dias were completely absent from the squad, and City could have done with their central defensive duo during a first 20 minutes in which Bournemouth attacked fearlessly.

A goal seemed imminent after just a minute when both Semenyo and Justin Kluivert were denied by Ederson. The City goalkeeper recovered from an initial weak parry to make a fantastic second save.

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The reigning champions were caught off guard and fell behind after just nine minutes. Milos Kerkez was the architect, outpacing Phil Foden on the left flank before cutting back to Semenyo who, despite initially stumbling over the ball, managed to regain his composure, turn Gvardiol and slot a shot past Ederson.

Kerkez then made an impressive block-tackle on Bernardo Silva to maintain their lead, while Erling Haaland squandered City's best opportunity of the first half.

City struggled to test Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers, confirming Guardiola's pre-match concerns about his team's fitness levels.

Manchester City's Matheus Nunes and Josko Gvardiol after the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth (Image: 2024 PA Media, All Rights Reserved)

The second half nearly started with a bang, with Ederson making a fine save from Evanilson's strike. City came close to equalising through Foden, but he directed his shot wide from Matheus Nunes's pull-back.

Lewis Cook was lucky not to be penalised for a robust challenge on Haaland, which left the striker needing treatment and City's bench fuming.

Semenyo and Kluivert consistently troubled City's makeshift defence. Nathan Ake, in particular, struggled to cope with the pace and directness of the Bournemouth duo, and their combination play almost resulted in a second goal, with Semenyo's shot deflected narrowly over following a swift counter-attack.

Once again, City had been forewarned and yet Bournemouth managed to penetrate their defence.

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The exceptional Kerkez was the mastermind behind the move, outpacing Walker on the left flank and delivering a cross to where Ake and Gvardiol had left Evanilson unmarked in the centre, allowing the Brazilian to choose his spot and finish past Ederson.

Tavernier struck the inside of the post as Bournemouth looked set to shatter City's unbeaten record right before their eyes. Travers made a good save to hold onto Haaland's volley as the possibility of defeat became increasingly real.

Gvardiol's header provided a glimmer of hope that the streak might continue, and it could have done if Travers hadn't kept out Haaland's attempt on the line during injury time.

With the final kick, Foden shot just wide as Bournemouth clung on for victory.