Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years as Bournemouth held Manchester City in what could be Pep Guardiola’s penultimate game as manager.
City needed to win on the south coast on Tuesday to keep their hopes of winning the PremierLeague alive but despite a strong start, Cherries wonderkid JuniorKroupi stunned the VitalityStadium and undoubtedly elated parts of North London.
ErlingHaaland did score to inject hope after 95 minutes but the efforts of Guardiola’s side were simply not enough.
In what will be emotional scenes for City fans, not only did this draw hand MikelArteta’s side the trophy they have reaped for decades, it could strongly suggest that Guardiola is just one game away from walking away from east Manchester.
Reports spread like wildfire on Monday evening claiming Guardiola has already decided to leave the Etihad club at the end of this campaign, with former Chelsea boss EnzoMaresca his supposed successor.
Ahead of kick-off, the Catalan himself wasn’t asked directly whether the rumours around his supposed exit at the end of the season are true but he did make it known that said reports hadn’t compromised City’s preparation for this game.
And when Antoine Semenyo, returning to the VitalityStadium for the first time since his £65 million move, slotted an effort beyond DjordjePetrovic it seemed that his verdict was accurate despite the goal being disallowed for offside.
Amidst that attack in the 12th minute came plenty more threat from the Citizens, where JeremyDoku was unfortunate to not record his ninth goal of the season after shooting low with his left foot from 18 yards.
On 28 minutes, a scramble inside the penalty area from a corner resulted in Rodri heading close before ErlingHaaland fired at the near post, but Evanilson was there to block before the game was flipped on its head.
JuniorKroupi, who City have frequently shown interest in ahead of the summer transfer window, was first to a AdrienTruffert cross before taking one touch and bending the ball spectacularly around GianluigiDonnarumma.
It was the moment that silenced an away end that was earlier singing “one more year, one more year, Guardiola,” yet those wishes seemed to be getting less tenable by the hour.
In the second half, as it was against Chelsea just days ago, a quick start generated an immediate threat and when Haaland slipped Nico O’Reilly through after 46 minutes, hopes were up before Petrovic denied the star with a strong right hand from close.
Then the momentum shifted. Bournemouth, chasing European football, had three opportunities inside 10 minutes in a second half that was pregnant with goals when Evanilson was denied by Donnarumma, Kroupi shot high from the edge of the area and then Rayan hit the post.
City regained some shape and fought until the very end, but the dream died and so did the hope in many of City fans’ hearts, including NoelGallagher, who left five minutes before the end of regulation time – missing Haaland’s equaliser and that demoralising full-time whistle.
Here’s how we rated the Manchester City players from their poor defeat to Bournemouth.
Starting XI
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 7 (POTM)
Couldn’t have done much for the opener, which came by way of a stunning strike from Junior Kroupi. Made a couple of important saves in the second period.
Matheus Nunes – 5
Stayed high and wide which worked until Bournemouth punished Guardiola’s side on the counter-attack. He needed to be deeper and push up when necessary – not the other way around.
Marc Guehi – 5.5
Made a few last-ditch tackles in the first half and was strong on a defensive front. The goal, obviously, creates a sense of dislike about the entire performance from both an individual and team standpoint.
Abdukodir Khusanov – 4.5
Could he have closed Kroupi down faster? Probably. But it would be unfair to discredit such a special talent for a good strike into the top corner. Vital in tracking back with his pace but sloppy at times.
Nico O’Reilly – 6
Created as much as he could here. A bright performance despite dull scenes on the south coast. Worked hard, committed to everything but still not enough.
Rodri – 4.5
Was caught out far too often in the midfield and missed many opportunities to play a better, more productive pass throughout. A poor effort from the edge around the hour and an even more disappointing performance.
Bernardo Silva – 4
Not a surprise to see him substituted after 56 minutes. Not only did City need more attacking juice, they also needed someone who wouldn’t dwell over the ball much, which Silva was doing quite a lot in the first half.
Mateo Kovacic – 6.5
Was relentless in midfield, chased every ball, looked up for every pass and did all the right things on an individual basis. A shame to see him replaced but understandable given the circumstances.
Jeremy Doku – 5
Quick down the left but dribbled with little intent and looked, frankly, like he didn’t care that much towards the end of the game. Workload could be a factor, but effort needs to be up in one of the most important games of the season.
Antoine Semenyo – 6
Scored, albeit from an offside position, which would have set City up perfectly for the rest of the game. Got into some good positions and created often. Surprised to see him subbed.
Erling Haaland – 6
A lot better than in recent weeks positionally, but perhaps should have shot more often – especially given the chances he had ahead of him here. A good finish late on but it begs the question of what could have happened if it went in earlier.
Substitutes
Omar Marmoush – 4
Didn’t threaten much after coming on, a fair introduction.
Phil Foden – 4
Came on for attacking numbers but didn’t produce any promise.
Savinho – 5
Moved with motivation and guile in the closing stages, perhaps the best substitute of the night.
Rayan Cherki – 4.5
Created a few chances, tried his best but was too often caught out of possession trying to be technically pleasing rather than simple and effective.