Manchester Metropolis couldn’t play by the ache barrier. As their run of 32 Premier League matches unbeaten got here to its finish, they creaked. Ageing, drained legs have been requested to chase – in useless – an opponent filled with power and a perception so not often in proof in opposition to the serial champions. For as soon as, Metropolis fell quick.
Make no mistake, Bournemouth have been sensible, their victory wholly deserved, with Antoine Semenyo dazzling. He demoted Kyle Walker to the doghouse, Metropolis’s captain left with twisted blood by the Ghanaian.
To be even-handed to Walker, he had answered his supervisor’s name when his health was in all probability far under the specified stage. Metropolis’s beginning choice bordered on the superior however masked the depth of the casualty listing. The bench even featured Kevin De Bruyne, unseen since September, and Savinho, who tearfully departed the sector at Tottenham in midweek on a stretcher. Neither got here on, even when emergency beckoned.
Bournemouth have been decided to catch Metropolis chilly. They flew on the contest, proper from the primary whistle. Ederson had already been requested to make a spectacular double save from Semenyo after which Justin Kluivert earlier than the scoring started when Milos Kerkez, overlapping down the left, blazed previous a dozing Phil Foden, laid up Semenyo. Josko Gvardiol was dismissed, and the Ghanaian’s spin and shot beat Ederson all arms down.
Dominant from these early moments, Bournemouth’s lead was completely deserved. Metropolis’s midfield exchanges have been compressed by the power of their opponents. Bar one Erling Haaland rampage, Metropolis provided little. With arms crossed, Guardiola muddied his black leather-based brogues as he paced the sidelines. Alongside him, Andoni Iraola, a coach whose upward trajectory makes him a number one contender to succeed the Catalan, was kicking each ball.
Beating Guardiola represented historical past; Bournemouth had by no means beforehand crushed Metropolis over 21 earlier conferences. The final time a degree was collected was 1999, within the third tier, when Joe Royle was Metropolis supervisor and Shaun Goater led the road.
May it occur? Kerkez continued his eye-catching afternoon with a last-man block when Bernardo Silva had the purpose gaping. Residence confidence started to circulate as Bournemouth dominated house, and there have been jeers when Haaland, in trying his personal flip and shot, fired extensive. In doing so, he appeared to roll his ankle however noticed out a primary half that concluded with Bournemouth placing collectively an nearly limitless sequence of passes. Their lead would possibly properly have been better than a single purpose from an impressive 45 minutes. Few groups have dominated Metropolis’s midfield in such a style.
Haaland got here out for a second half the place Bournemouth set off after one other quick begin. Semenyo took down a protracted ball, just for Evanilson to steal in and drive one other Ederson save when Mark Travers, Bournemouth’s stand-in keeper, had but to be known as into motion.
Alerts of a doable Metropolis revival started to sound. Haaland was penalised when leaping highest for a header and Foden drifted a effort extensive after Matheus Nunes had crushed Adam Smith with tempo and trickery. Walker, closest to his supervisor and struggling badly with Semenyo, was given fixed, terse, recommendation from the sidelines and ultimately switched to centre-back.
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Tempers started to fray when Lewis Cook dinner, Bournemouth’s ratter supreme, took out Haaland with a trailing leg and the Metropolis striker, after a lot delay, once more resumed. That Bournemouth started to retrench on the hour mark recommended a recreation of one-way site visitors, just for the counter to be triggered in devastating type. Semenyo, once more, blew previous Walker, and provided Kerkez, whose low move discovered Evanilson, the striker hooking the ball dwelling.
The lead might need stretched additional when Marcus Tavernier cracked the within submit. May they cling on? Travers did not claw away Gvardiol’s header from Ilkay Gündogan’s cross and a closing 10 minutes of rigidity have been arrange. Jérémy Doku’s dribbling was added to the combo, and the Belgian pressured a save from Travers forward of six additional minutes being added on.
Chaos duly ensued, Travers making one other save, from Haaland, the ball by some means not crossing the road because the striker subsequent struck the woodwork together with his follow-up. Foden slapped a shot extensive however the champions – ragged, exhausted, dumbfounded – may give no extra.
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