Bournemouth secured their first Premier League victory over Manchester City, triumphing 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium despite facing late pressure from their opponents.
The game plan devised by manager Andoni Iraola was flawlessly executed by his players, who set up in a deep, organized block and countered with pace and strength. This approach effectively overloaded the flanks, creating significant problems for City defenders Gvardiol and Walker.
Bournemouth opened the scoring early, with Semenyo netting a well-taken goal in the ninth minute, assisted by Kerkez. This early lead allowed the Cherries to settle back and absorb pressure for the remainder of the first half.
The second half saw a similar pattern unfold, with Guardiola’s side controlling possession but failing to seriously test Bournemouth’s goalkeeper, Travers. This lack of attacking effectiveness allowed the hosts to extend their lead, with Evanilson scoring the second goal after another key pass from Kerkez.
Bournemouth’s Brooks had a chance to further increase the lead but struck the post, which ignited a response from City. The visitors finally registered their first shot on target in the 80th minute and scored shortly thereafter when Gvardiol headed in. However, despite their late efforts, including two close-range attempts from Haaland in stoppage time, City couldn’t find an equalizer.
Although both teams had similar expected goals outputs (1.8 for Bournemouth and 1.77 for City), it was Iraola’s side that came away with the win. They will next face Brentford on November 9.
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This defeat marked Manchester City’s first loss of the season, prompting them to aim for a turnaround in their upcoming matches against Sporting CP in the Champions League on Tuesday and Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.
