Manchester City’s trip to Bournemouth always looked like a tough proposition and so it proved, with Andoni Iraola’s side winning 2-1 on Saturday afternoon to end City’s long unbeaten run in the Premier League.
The home side were ahead after only nine minutes, Antoine Semenyo turning and finishing sharply as Bournemouth made early pressure count. Similar setbacks in recent games against Wolves and Fulham spurred City into action but that was not the case here. Bournemouth created several clear-cut chances, and their second goal, from Evanilson, was as inevitable to those watching as it was surprising to those who were not.
City’s first shot on target in the game came from Erling Haaland in the 80th minute and two minutes later a second one resulted in a Josko Gvardiol goal — but it proved only a consolation, despite some concerted City pressure in the closing moments.
Liam Tharme analyses an underwhelming afternoon for Manchester City.
Major defensive concerns for Guardiola
It wasn’t just that they lost, but how. City’s first league defeat of 2024, in game 29, means they fell just one match shy of equalling Chelsea’s 29-game unbeaten calendar-year run from the start of 2005.
This Guardiola City side are, in many ways, the antithesis of that Jose Mourinho Chelsea team, but for so long have been hard to beat through a combination of individual quality, adapted tactical plans and a strong defensive base.
Bournemouth’s game-plan, to press aggressively in midfield and squeeze City back to Ederson, then be direct on the break after regains, worked so well that by the 75th minute, with Bournemouth 2-0 up, they kept attacking rather than just shutting up shop.
City conceded 12 shots, and six of those were Opta-defined big chances. It’s the most big chances they’ve conceded in a Premier League game since Brentford’s famous 2-1 win at the Etihad in November 2022 (also six). And with Bournemouth’s second goal, playing round the press then hitting an early cross, almost identical to Tottenham’s opener in midweek, there are specific City defensive weaknesses emerging and repeatable opposition blueprints to exploit those.
Another slow start from City
City are making a bad habit of starting games slowly. Antoine Semenyo’s goal after nine minutes made it the four games out of the last six, in all competitions, where they had gone 1-0 down and early on.
A reshuffled defence meant Kyle Walker took Rico Lewis’ place at right-back, theoretically ideal against a team with pace out wide as Walker is physically superior.
City’s issues stemmed from playing into Bournemouth’s pressing traps. They marked City’s No 8s tightly and were aggressive in midfield. With to-feet players in Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva, City tried to play through and kept giving away turnovers.
Bournemouth were ambitious with forward passes and looked in-behind early, while advancing left-back Milos Kerkez caused Foden problems, dribbling past him and pulling a low cutback for Semenyo to find the far corner, on the turn.
City have now conceded as many league goals in the first 15 minutes of 2024-25 as the whole of last season (four).
Really it was City’s poor defending of long passes which cost them. Three-quarters of Bournemouth’s first-half long balls were successful, and that pinned City back, creating more favourable situations for Bournemouth where they could press.
A missed opportunity?
Title races aren’t won in November, but they can be lost. At least that was the feeling in the press room prior to kick-off, as Arsenal toiled against Newcastle in the early kick-off.
A win would have put City eight points clear of Arsenal, and with Liverpool winning at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, City wasted an opportunity to extend their one-point lead at the top over Arne Slot’s side, who go two points clear.
With this being game five of seven in a 20 day sequence for City, and looking ahead to a December which features eight games — starting with a trip to Liverpool, and including games against Aston Villa, Juventus and Manchester United.
Guardiola can rightly point out the volume of injuries that City have to deal with, and the history books show that their form at the business end of the season is ruthlessly good, but it is worth remembering that the last team other than City to win the Premier League (Liverpool in 2019-20) did so by breaking them early in the season and cantering to an unassailable points total.
What did Guardiola say?
We’ll bring you the thoughts of the City boss after his post-game press conference.
What next for Manchester City?
Tuesday, November 5: Sporting Lisbon (away), Champions League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
Recommended reading
- Will Manchester United ever return to the top of English football?
- The Premier League table after 10 games? It won’t change much
- Practical to tactical: The evolution of goalkeepers’ long passes
(Top photo: Getty Images)
