Discover how Semenyo and Evanilson led Bournemouth to a 2-1 victory, ending City’s unbeaten streak. Read more about this thrilling match.
Introduction:
It was a thumping display at the Vitality Stadium as AFC Bournemouth made history in having their first league win ever against reigning champions Manchester City, ending City’s extraordinary 32-match unbeaten run. A couple of goals from Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson were enough to bring home a 2-1 triumph, firmly placing Bournemouth on the Premier League map as a team capable of upsetting top clubs. This also makes
Bournemouth third consecutively on the field, having emerged victorious the previous week against Arsenal. Before that, City never capitalized on the slip up by Arsenal early in this game and has had to wait till Bournemouth became the first to break into the eighth position on the league.
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Fast start gives Bournemouth early lead
Bournemouth started on the front foot, dominating possession of the field from whistle to whistle in the encounter. The first attempts of Semenyo tested City goalkeeper Ederson, who was involved at the earliest stages in the game. After some minutes, Bournemouth, on the 10th minute, managed to pound it into the back with Milos Kerkez, making a great down the left wing run delivering an accurate cut-back towards Semenyo. Semenyo controlled the ball calmly and pushed it into the far post to give Bournemouth the early lead at 1-0.
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Bournemouth was relentless in their attacking as City tried to reorganize. Evanilson continued to be a nuisance at the back of the pitch, coming in front of goal only for a sharp reaction from Ederson to deny him his effort for a second equalizing chance.
Evanilson Doubles the Lead
Persistence, however, paid off for Bournemouth in the second half. In the 64th minute, Kerkez made another good run down the left side, crossing towards Evanilson, who stretched to touch the ball, guiding it past Ederson for Bournemouth’s second goal. The Vitality Stadium erupted with a roar as Bournemouth took a 2-0 lead over City, placing them in an awkward position they rarely find themselves in.
Almost at making their lead stretch further, Bournemouth were with a curling shot of Marcus Tavernier onto the post and then it’s Adam Smith’s turn who also fails to make one from the rebound. Their defense went on to breaking more and more under the pressures of the Bournemouth sides.
City fight back; Gvardiol gives hopes
For their part, Manchester City is known as a team built on grit, but their game today was showing its first breath of life just when there were five minutes remaining into the match with an impressive cross by Ilkay Gundogan to find Josko Gvardiol at the back post as he sent the ball heading powerfully into the back of the net for what proved to be 2-1 for the hosts before City became frantic in closing out these final few minutes with an equalizer to force back into this encounter with the visitors.
City’s star striker Erling Haaland had a few chances to level the score in the dying minutes. His headed attempt on target was saved by Bournemouth’s goalkeeper Mark Travers, who proved to be the game-changer in maintaining the lead. The rebound hit the post, which was his frustrating evening and denied City the chance to avoid defeat.
Semenyo Shines in Bournemouth’s Triumph
The victory for Bournemouth rested squarely on the outstanding performance from Antoine Semenyo, who was always a force to be reckoned with in City’s defense and whose speed, strength, and skill ensured that, more often than not, Kyle Walker and other colleagues had their hands full when facing him. His scoring goal in the opening moments of the match set out the tone of the evening and spelled out why he might just be priceless for a team.
In addition to all this, Semenyo in Bournemouth’s attack in his interchange play with Kerkez helped Evanilson in scoring. All of these were combined by incessant pressing and intelligent movements that left City’s back foot running. His performances place him among Bournemouth’s most important players.
Haaland Struggles On
Erling Haaland was not contributing much to Manchester City in the recent matches. The Norwegian marksman has scored just once in his last four league appearances-a far cry from what is normally expected of him. Haaland appeared very far from his best and took a knock from a tackle on the half-hour, which he appeared to be in discomfort with throughout the match. He had played the entire match but looked inhibited and somewhat out of kilter.
Finally, Haaland’s frustrations prevailed in the last minute of the match, when a close-range header was saved and the rebound hit the post.Usually clinical in finishing, that night was the reverse for Haaland, a departure from his team’s typical fluidity and precision.
The Home Fortress of Bournemouth
This win further consolidates Bournemouth’s recent wins at Vitality Stadium, making the destination a hard nut to crack for heavyweights in the Premier League. Consecutive home victories against Arsenal and Manchester City show that Bournemouth could be a side that derails the order of league hierarchy. Their morale is high, and their strategy, led by dynamic performers like Semenyo and Evanilson, is also paying off. With its third consecutive home win, Bournemouth is etching out a profile as one of the upsets for big games.
Looking Forward
This win will push Bournemouth to the eighth position and cemented them as tough players, especially at home. For Manchester City though, it wasn’t all that simple as this loss has to some extent marred their continuous momentum and they lost top of the league. An excellent win by Bournemouth does add much excitement in this season’s Premier League due to its unpredictability of the match. Future aspects of Bournemouth appear rosy with Semenyo and Evanilson basking in form.