43 min No reply to speak on from City. They\u2019ve dominated possession throughout the half but are crying out for the wit, invention and personality of Rayan Cherki.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Truffert gallopsed down the left and screwed an excellent pass back towards the unmarked Kroupi on the edge of the area. He opened his body, used Khusanov as a screen and whipped a majestic curler into the far corner. He is outrageously good for a teenager, and his goal has moved Arsenal even closer to the Premier League<\/a> title.<\/p>\n A peach of a curler from Bournemouth’s Junior Kroupi puts the home side ahead. Photograph: Paul Childs\/Action Images\/ReutersKroupi celebrates with a somersault. Photograph: Paul Childs\/Action Images\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.15 EDT<\/p>\n GREAT GOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Man City (Kroupi 39)<\/p>\n Eli Junior Kroupi puts Bournemouth<\/a> ahead with a beauty!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 38 min \u201cRegarding the Man City away strip currently being sported,\u201d begins Ian Copestake. \u201cIts designers Puma state, and I kid you not, that it\u2019s \u2018all-over, tonal raindrop pattern cascades across the gunmetal-grey background to evoke the city\u2019s overcast skies and wet weather\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Target market, Ian, target market. If they\u2019d ripped off the Joy Division Unknown Pleasures cover I\u2019d be all over it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 37 min Tyler Adams is booked for sarcasm. He applauded when the referee gave a foul against Erling Haaland for a challenge on James Hill.<\/p>\n How do you prove sarcasm?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 35 min The referee Anthony Taylor has a stern word \u2013 several \u2013 with one of the Bournemouth<\/a> backroom staff. Not sure why.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 34 min It\u2019s still a high-class game. Sadly, a lot of that class is being demonstrated without the ball, so it remains a match of few chances.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.05 EDT<\/p>\n 33 min \u201cI have no claim of being a soothsayer,\u201d writes Jones from Nairobi, \u201cbut methinks that should Arsenal get the monkey off their back this season by winning the damn thing, they are likely to dominate for the foreseeable future. Don\u2019t you think Pep has spied that possibility and walked away at an opportune moment, leaving the business of rebuilding to the poor guy who\u2019s got to fill his enormous boots?\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure about that. I assume he\u2019s just shattered after a decade at City. Ordinarily he\u2019d embrace the challenge, as he did when Liverpool won the league at a canter in 2019-20, and he has helpdd his successor enormously by starting the rebuild this season. Not all great managers bother to do that.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 28 min Silva\u2019s outswinging corner finds the head of Rodri, and Evanilson stoops to head clear just in front of the goalline. I think that would have gone in, though it\u2019s hard to be sure as the header was moving quite slowly. Haaland then smashes a shot from a tight angle that hits somebody \u2013 either a defender or Petrovic \u2013 and goes behind for another corner.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 27 min A cross from Doku deflects off Smith and flashes into the side netting. Petrovic had it covered.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 26 min Nah, it\u2019s never too early, not when there\u2019s so much at stake.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 25 min It\u2019s too early for the as-it-stands table, right?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 22 min There haven\u2019t been many chances but this is a high-class game between two extremely good sides. I envy the supporters of whichever club Andoni Iraola joins this summer.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 21 min \u201cI definitely want City to win the league but I almost changed my mind when I saw that strip on the photo at the top of the blog,\u201d writes Richard Hirst. \u201cIn what world do people get paid good money for coming up with kits like that?\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure we\u2019re the target market, Richard.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 19 min Some classy hold-up play from Kroupi allows Bournemouth<\/a> some respite after another extended period of City possession. He is so accomplished for a teenager.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>15 min: What a miss by Evanilson!<\/p>\n A one touch, zig-zag move from Bournemouth<\/a> ends with Tavernier fizzing a low cross that is somehow lifted over the bar from six yards by Evanilson.<\/p>\n I think the flag went up against Evanilson, though on the replay it looked really close. I guess we\u2019ll never know, because he clodhopped it over the bar. The build-up was lovely.<\/p>\n Evanilson forgot to put his shooting boots on. Photograph: Dylan Martinez\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.51 EDT<\/p>\n 14 min After a long spell of City possession, Khusanov whacks a long-range shot into orbit.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 14 min \u201cIt would be impossibly churlish to deny Pep Guardiola every plaudit going; let\u2019s put aside all the other stuff as he departs the stage,\u201d writes Charles Antkai. \u201cOf course he\u2019s on everybody\u2019s list of top managers of all time – citation probably not needed. As for this evening, in a spirit of generosity from an Arsenal fan, I hope he bows out in his penultimate game by thrashing Bournemouth, and I mean that in the spirit of Luciano Pavarotti in his immortal interview with Bobby Charlton<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 12 min: Semenyo has a goal disallowed He ran onto a through pass from Haaland and beat Petrovic with his left foot. VAR confirms the decision. There wasn\u2019t a huge amount in it but Semenyo started his run a split-second too soon.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 11 min The game is starting to settle into the expected pattern of City possession and Bournemouth<\/a> transition.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 8 min There\u2019s an excellent pace to the game, with both teams showing plenty of intent in possession. More please!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 5 min: Chance for City Semenyo gets to the byline and cuts the ball back sharply towards Doku on the edge of the area. He dummies a defender but shoots too close to Petrovic with his left foot.<\/p>\n Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo attempts to get past Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier. Photograph: Dylan Martinez\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.02 EDT<\/p>\n 3 min A fast start from Bournemouth<\/a>, who are hounding City all over the pitch. City play through the press and Kovacic\u2019s pass almost puts Haaland through on goal. It was James Hill, I think, who made a vital interception.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 1 min City get the match under way on a chilly evening on the south coast.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A reminder of tonight\u2019s teams<\/p>\n Bournemouth (4-2-3-1) Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Rayan, Kroupi, Tavernier; Evanilson.<\/p>\n Subs: Cook, Brooks, Gannon-Doak, Diakite, Kluivert, Adli, Unal, Toth, Mandas.<\/p>\n Man City (poss 4-3-3) Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O\u2019Reilly; Bernardo, Rodri, Kovacic; Semenyo, Haaland, Doku.<\/p>\n Subs: Trafford, Dias, Reijnders, Stones, Marmoush, Cherki, Gvardiol, Savinho, Foden.<\/p>\n Referee Anthony Taylor.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Andoni Iraola’s pre-match thoughts<\/p>\n double quotation markIt will be an emotional night, but probably after the game. The game is so difficult \u2013 there is so much to prepare for and our focus is all on that.<\/p>\n For us it\u2019s massive. We want to play in Europe next season; we know we are close but we are not quite there. We will give our best and let\u2019s see it\u2019s enough.<\/p>\n [Mikel Arteta] will be supporting us today. I understand everything around the game, but I want to win because it\u2019s massive for us.<\/p>\n Arteta and Iraola were childhood friends who were born three months and six miles apart.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Pep Guardiola’s pre-match interview<\/p>\n Sky Sports, who are covering the game in England, say it would not be fair to ask him about his future until after the game.<\/p>\n double quotation markThis is a tough, tough opponent. We have to win this game and then see what happens. This is the last effort. Two games, tonight and on Sunday.<\/p>\n How many games are Bournemouth unbeaten? [16] It speaks for itself.<\/p>\n [Have the overnight reports had any effect on City\u2019s preparation for this game?] Zero.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s another big game at Stamford Bridge, where Spurs will effectively ensure survival if they get a point against Chelsea. That game kicks off at 8.15pm, and you can follow it with Simon Burnton.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> \u201cWhat are your dreams, what are your dreams?\u201d To comprehend what drove Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, his interaction with autograph hunters<\/a> in January 2025 after an 8-0 FA Cup win over Salford City is instructive.<\/p>\n The group comprises all younger people apart from one man who tells him: \u201cI used to be a chef.\u201d Guardiola\u2019s reply cuts to the quick and reads as a mantra heard surely by the 85 players he used in 10 Premier League<\/a> seasons. \u201cContinue to do it. Prepare better,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n This ethos of improvement and perfection-seeking swept Guardiola\u2019s City to the 2023 treble, the 2018 title with a record 100 points as part of a domestic treble, and to a historic four consecutive championships, the last of these a year after the winning Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, when fatigue might have caused decline.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe irony of Man City\u2019s dentist\u2019s appointment<\/a> in Bournemouth<\/a> today,\u201d says Peter Oh, \u201cis that it\u2019s Arsenal who could come out of it with a crown.\u201d<\/p>\n Some pre-match bantz from an Arsenal fan outside the Vitality Stadium. Photograph: Paul Childs\/Action Images\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.36 EDT<\/p>\n Breaking news: Southampton kicked out of Championship playoffs<\/p>\n Southampton have been expelled from the Championship playoff final and docked four points after being found guilty of spying on Middlesbrough<\/a>.<\/p>\n An independent disciplinary \u00adcommission handed down the punishment after the English Football League<\/a> charged Southampton with a breach of its regulations.<\/p>\n It means Middlesbrough, who were beaten by Southampton<\/a> in the semi-finals, will face Hull for a place in the Premier League. The final remains scheduled for Saturday at Wembley. Southampton have the right to appeal and the commission aims to resolve any appeal by the end of Wednesday.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.49 EDT<\/p>\n \u201cI just thought it was fake news,\u201d says the Bournemouth<\/a> defender James Hill, casting his mind back to the time Barcelona sent a scout to watch him play for Fleetwood. The game in question was a League One defeat by Burton and although the then 19-year-old was highly regarded, there were a few double-takes when the request to attend landed. \u201c\u2018No, that can\u2019t be right.\u2019 And then afterwards someone told me they did come to the game: \u2018Oh, incredible.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n At that point Hill, who at the age of 16 became Fleetwood\u2019s youngest player, was fresh from making his England Under-20 debut and a couple of months later an under-21 call-up followed, though a knee injury prevented him from joining Marc Gu\u00e9hi, Morgan Gibbs-White, Cole Palmer and co. \u201cI remember being on the phone to Lee Carsley,\u201d he says. \u201c\u2018I\u2019m sorry, but I\u2019m in the scanner at the moment, I don\u2019t think I\u2019m going to be able to make it judging from the pain I\u2019m in.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Premier League clubs and others across Europe noted an athletic and powerful centre-back with dozens of games under his belt, and Bournemouth acted, paying Fleetwood \u00a31.2m, eclipsing the \u00a31m the club received for Jamie Vardy. Leicester laughed when Fleetwood insisted on an England clause in the deal for Vardy and Fleetwood inserted one when Hill joined Bournemouth, too. Hill is being monitored by England and it is impossible not to be impressed by the progress of the 24-year-old.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Pep Guardiola on Andoni Iraola\u2019s Bournemouth<\/p>\n double quotation markThey don\u2019t let you breathe. When a team is so intense, always when fatigue comes due to the amount of games, they can reduce this tempo a little bit, but with 10 days to prepare, I expect an intense team.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Team news<\/p>\n Tyler Adams replaces Ryan Christie in the Bournemouth<\/a> midfield. That\u2019s the only change from the team that won at Fulham ten days ago.<\/p>\n Pep Guardiola makes two changes to his FA Cup-winning side: Gianluigi Donnarumma and Mateo Kovacic replace James Trafford and Omar Marhoush. That probably means a switch to 4-3-3.<\/p>\n Bournemouth (4-2-3-1) Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Rayan, Kroupi, Tavernier; Evanilson.<\/p>\n Subs: Cook, Brooks, Gannon-Doak, Diakite, Kluivert, Adli, Unal, Toth, Mandas.<\/p>\n Man City (poss 4-3-3) Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O\u2019Reilly; Bernardo, Rodri, Kovacic; Semenyo, Haaland, Doku.<\/p>\n Subs: Trafford, Dias, Reijnders, Stones, Marmoush, Cherki, Gvardiol, Savinho, Foden.<\/p>\n Referee Anthony Taylor.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Antoine Semenyo on his return to Bournemouth<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019ll be emotional for sure. It\u2019s good to be back and to see everyone, but we\u2019ve got a job to do.<\/p>\n I know how tough it will be against Bournemouth but we\u2019ve got a gameplan and hopefully it works.<\/p>\n Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo speaks to an Bournemouth fan during the warm-up. Photograph: Dylan Martinez\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.37 EDT<\/p>\n \u201cRiddle corner,\u201d begins Peter Oh. \u201cWhat is the most popular summer fruit among Arsenal fans? Cherries!\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s got to be a M\u00fcller Corner<\/a> gag in there somewhere.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>City line up Maresca as Guardiola replacement<\/p>\n Pep Guardiola has informed Manchester City\u2019s players that he will leave the club after Sunday\u2019s final Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa.<\/p>\n The manager felt obliged to update his squad after news of his departure broke on Monday night, taking him by surprise while he was preparing for Tuesday\u2019s match at Bournemouth<\/a>.<\/p>\n Guardiola had hoped to keep his decision to leave City private for longer, so as not to provide a distraction. City need to beat Bournemouth to take the title race to the last day after Arsenal moved five points clear by defeating Burnley<\/a>.<\/p>\n Guardiola is leaving after 10 years with a season remaining on his contract and City have identified Enzo Maresca as his replacement. Chelsea are in line for sizeable compensation for Maresca from City after the Italian\u2019s acrimonious departure from Chelsea<\/a> on New Year\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Well that escalated quickly. This time yesterday, Pep Guardiola\u2019s departure from Manchester City<\/a> was but a tentative rumour. Now it is common knowledge, even if has yet to be officially confirmed. That should happen tonight when Guardola speaks either before or after City\u2019s vital game at Bourbnemouth.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still a chance Guardiola could leave English football with another treble on his CV. But if City are to take the title race to the last day, and test Arsenal\u2019s nerve to the full, they need to overcome a Bournemouth side who are unbeaten in 16 Premier League<\/a> games.<\/p>\n Bournemouth are also saying goodbye to arguably their greatest ever manager. Tonight is Andoni Iraola\u2019s final home game, a chance to say goodbye in style: if Bournemouth<\/a> get a point, they will qualify for Europe for the first time in their history.<\/p>\n Kick-off 7.30pm BST.<\/p>\n![\"Jamie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Jamie-Jackson,-L.png\")
Jamie Jackson<\/p>\n![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779218170_200_Ben_Fisher.png\")
Ben Fisher<\/p>\n