- Bournemouth shocked Manchester City with a 2-1 win, ending their 20-game losing streak against the champions
- The Cherries hadn’t won a league game against City before, making this a historic first victory in the Premier League
- This defeat sees Manchester City drop from the top of the table, allowing Liverpool to take the lead
In a twist that only a few saw coming, Bournemouth rewrote their history and the Premier League’s record books with a 2-1 victory over Manchester City, ending a winless drought of over 20 league games against the reigning champions.
A monumental win for the Cherries, the game at Vitality Stadium saw Andoni Iraola’s side defy the odds and deliver an unexpected blow to Pep Guardiola’s title defence.
Bournemouth hadn’t managed to claim a single win against City in their last 20 league encounters, a statistic that had become a painful part of their story. With 18 losses and just two draws, it marked the longest unbeaten streak any English side had held over another across both the Football League and the Premier League. Even worse, Bournemouth had lost all 11 of their Premier League matches against teams sitting in the top half of the table, another infamous record finally laid to rest this weekend.
The Cherries struck first as early as the ninth minute and perhaps Man City thought they could always stage a comeback, Antoine Semenyo turned his marker and slotted the ball past Ederson with a sharp strike, putting Bournemouth in the lead and shaking the confidence of the usually formidable City defence.
Just after the hour mark, Milos Kerkez’s cross found Evanilson, who wasted no time sending it into the bottom corner, doubling Bournemouth’s advantage and sending home fans into an ecstatic frenzy.
Manchester City managed to pull one back in the 82nd minute when Josko Gvardiol headed in a consolation goal, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.
The final whistle marked City’s first Premier League loss of the season and saw them relinquish their grip on the top of the table to Liverpool, who leapfrogged them with a comeback win over Brighton.
For Arsenal fans, Bournemouth’s victory may feel like a small silver lining after the Gunners’ 1-0 loss to Newcastle earlier in the day. City’s loss preserved Arsenal’s cherished record as the only team to have gone an entire Premier League season unbeaten (2003/04), a title that looked in jeopardy before Bournemouth’s heroic performance.
Bournemouth now sits just outside the top four, three points off Champions League qualification, a position nearly unthinkable just weeks ago. Could this be a sign of bigger things for Iraola’s side?
Slot’s Liverpool will struggle this season as custom demands, Gary Neville predicts PL top 4
Previously, TheRadar reported that Gary Neville had wasted no time in revising his predictions for the Premier League season, making significant changes after just one game.
The former Manchester United defender, known for his critical analysis, initially backed Tottenham Hotspur to secure a top-four finish. However, following their opening match, he reconsidered Chelsea’s potential to overtake them.
