Jamie Jackson’s match report has landed, and here it is. Bye again!
Manchester City roll on to Wembley while Bournemouth’s Premier League status becomes ever more precarious.
A week beginning with the court of arbitration for sport victory moved to this hard-fought win for Pep Guardiola’s side that keeps them honest before the continuation of their FA Cup defence against Arsenal. Despite a late rally, Bournemouth remain third-bottom on 31 points with only two games left – one less than the other teams embroiled in the relegation dog-fight.
Much more here:
I’m sure the match report will be along any minute now, but until then I’m going to sneak off. Bye!
Sky have already turned their attention to goings-on in London, so we won’t hear the managers’ instant reaction in Manchester. Bournemouth need at least one win from their two remaining fixtures, which include one against an Everton side that has won two of their last nine and have looked a little low in the motivation department of late. Southampton, their next opponents, have only lost once since the restart and have played, at worst, pretty well when I’ve seen them.
By the time that match kicks off West Ham will have played Watford, two teams who sit three points ahead of the Cherries and at least one of whom they must catch. A slender Watford win is probably the nightmare scenario, which because of West Ham’s much superior goal difference would leave Bournemouth effectively needing two wins in their last two games. A draw isn’t much better. A bit of luck in that game and two more performances like this one, though, and they’ve got a fighting chance of surviving.
The Premier League action continues at the Emirates, where Arsenal play Liverpool. Scott Murray is all over that one:
Bournemouth were excellent tonight. To state the bleeding obvious, if they played like that every week they wouldn’t be anywhere near the bottom three.
Final score: Manchester City 2-1 Manchester City
90+7 mins: The throw is flicked on but then hacked clear by Stones, and that’s it!
Updated
90+6 mins: About 30 seconds to go. Ederson comes out to deal with a through-ball, and Bournemouth will fling the resulting throw-in into the box.
90+5 mins: Brooks crosses, but it’s too high and a bit aimless, and Ederson collects.
90+4 mins: Rico crosses from the left, and Callum Wilson heads over.
90+4 mins: Garcia is booked for stopping a Bournemouth break. City are under siege here.
90+3 mins: Another half-chance! Ramsdale’s long free-kick is flicked on to Surridge, who can’t quite bring it under control before he runs into Ederson!
90+1 mins: There will be six minutes of stoppage time! Harry Wilson’s low cross finds Lewis Cook, whose shot deflects out to Lerma, whose shot hits a defender and rebounds to safety!
90 mins: Bournemouth bring Surridge on in place of Billings.
90 mins: Chance for a second! Brooks’ cross comes off Garcia’s bum and drops to Callum Wilson, whose first-time left-footer from the edge of the box rolls wide!
GOAL! Manchester City 2-1 Bournemouth (Brooks, 88 mins)
Bournemouth grab the goal they deserve! Callum Wilson gets in down the left while Otamendi is left for dust by Brooks in the middle, who is entirely alone as he gobbles up the pass infield!
Updated
87 mins: Twice in about 30 seconds City defenders are forced to miscue wild clearances away from danger.
84 mins: Save! Garcia’s cross from the right isn’t very good, but Foden controls it beautifully, shimmies past a defender and shoots from an acute angle straight into Ramsdale.
83 mins: Sterling has touched the ball 11 times since he came on at half-time, and has been almost entirely peripheral.
82 mins: Just 10 minutes or so to play, and Bournemouth have still had more shots than Manchester City.
81 mins: Another chance for Bournemouth - Brooks pulls back from the right, and Callum Wilson sidefoots wide!
78 mins: Harry Wilson goes down on the edge of the area as Mahrez stretches out a leg. The referee puts his whistle to his lips, then thinks better of it and waves play on. Turns out he got that call right, as replays indicate it was horrible cheating from the Bournemouth substitute.
77 mins: City take off Jesus and Mendy, and bring on Mahrez and Zinchenko. Bournemouth counter by taking off King and bringing on Harry Wilson.
76 mins: This is probably City’s best spell since the first few minutes of the game. Foden slides in Jesus, whose low shot from the right skids across goal and wide.
74 mins: No penalty! Cook slid in and took the ball, and Jesus landed a foot on his ankle and went over. Not a dive, and a perfectly understandable decision from the on-field referee, and all in all an excellent example of VAR intervening to improve things.
73 mins: VAR is checking this as well. Looks like an excellent challenge to me.
72 mins: Penalty to Manchester City! David Silva plays a nice pass infield to Jesus, whose first touch is good, but Steve Cook slides in and nicks the ball away!
Updated
69 mins: Three changes for Bournemouth, who bring Brooks, Lewis Cook and Callum Wilson on, and take Solanke, Stanislas and Gosling off.
68 mins: City make another change, bringing Rodri on for Gundogan.
66 mins: King runs in from the left and past Garcia, who reaches out an arm in an effort to slow his progress. King might have won a penalty if he went down at that point, but instead he runs on and wins only a corner.
65 mins: Bournemouth continue to look rather decent. I’ve seen them several times since the restart and indeed before, and they have often looked like an incoherent mess. This has been a very decent performance, and even if the game were to end 2-0 if Watford play against City as they tend to Bournemouth might end up with better goal difference.
64 mins: Another chance for Bournemouth! Stanislas crosses, Ederson sprints off his line but palms it straight to Gosling, and his first-time effort deflects wide!
60 mins: The offside decision is upheld, but that couldn’t have been much closer and to my mind falls squarely in the should-really-give-those category.
59 mins: VAR is checking this - it looked clear at the time, but it looks super-close in the replays.
59 mins: Bournemouth score! But it’s disallowed! Stanislas gets in on the right, turns inside Gundogan and curls a shot towards the far post. It was heading wide so King taps it in, but the linesman’s flag is up!
Updated
58 mins: Foden blooters a left-footed cross from the right over everybody and everything and into touch. Goal kick.
54 mins: Fernandinho bursts down the right, takes on Rico, turns him one way, turns him the other, and then sends in a cross that’s cleared for a corner. An excellent impression of a tricky flying winger there from the 35-year-old.
52 mins: City are keeping the ball, but haven’t quite worked out what to do with it.
49 mins: After their half-time switch City are basically playing with an advanced-midfield four, with Foden on the right, Jesus on the left and Sterling and Silva in the middle, and no forwards.
46 mins: Peeeeeep! The game is back on, and City have made a couple of half-timely substitutions, bringing on Eric Garcia and Raheem Sterling, and taking off Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker.
That Stanislas free-kick, though. The full sequence of events once the ball reached Ederson, diving at full stretch to his left, was: hand-post-hand-post-head-wide. It was a brilliant shot, and even after being saved it could very easily have gone in.
Half time: Manchester City 2-0 Bournemouth
45+3 mins: We have now had half of the time. Bournemouth have played pretty decently, and could easily be going in level. Ultimately while this level of performance might not be good enough to get anything from Manchester City, it could very well do so in their forthcoming fixtures against Southampton and Everton.
45+1 mins: There will be two minutes of first-half stoppage time, or something in that region.
43 mins: Chaos breaks out in the Bournemouth defence after Ramsdale comes for the ball, gets a hand to it and drops it. Jesus looks set to run onto the loose ball before Lerma intervenes, and he goes down. On replay it looks to me (and to Jamie Carragher on Sky) like a penalty, but the referee didn’t give it and the VAR doesn’t think it’s worth an overrule.
40 mins: King goes on a decent run of his own, to the edge of the City area, but then he can’t decide what to do next and gets dispossessed.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Bournemouth (Jesus, 39 mins)
City have been second best for 20 minutes, at the end of which they double their lead! David Silva passes to Jesus, who is to the left of goal and surrounded by defenders, but then he jinks past Stacey, jinks a bit more past Cook, and shoots low and hard inside the far post!
Updated
37 mins: Nearly an equaliser! Gosling is played through to the left of goal and squares to Solanke. With Ederson out of goal he controls, spins and shoots, but Otamendi throws himself at it and deflects the ball over the bar!
36 mins: A City shot! Foden’s cross flicks off a defensive head and drops to Bernardo Silva, but he gets his shot all wrong and the ball bobbles wide. Bournemouth have had more shots than their hosts, and more shots on target.
34 mins: Bournemouth keep purshing. Now Gosling crosses, and King flicks a header wide.
33 mins: Brilliant save! Stanislas takes it, and it’s a cracking effort, curling round the wall and inside the post, but Ederson dives to touch it against the post, and it bounces off his head, back into his arm, and behind for a corner.
Updated
32 mins: Otamendi trips Solanke, a couple of yards further from goal than Silva’s free-kick earlier but otherwise in a similar spot.
Updated
31 mins: Foden improvises a shot inside the area, but it whizzes well over the bar.
29 mins: Play has restarted, with City hogging possession but not doing much with it.
25 mins: The players take drinks. Bournemouth will be heartened: they were outplayed for the first six minutes, but have stabilised since.
24 mins: Lerma shanks Mendy’s cross into the stands, and City have a corner. Gundogan takes, and Cook heads it away.
22 mins: Stacey’s cross from the right is headed away by Stones, just as Gosling was cocking his neck. Then King spins but shoots wide. Bournemouth are the more threatening side at present. “That was a great free kick by David Silva, especially considering that Lee Mason let the Bournemouth wall set up about seven yards from the ball,” writes JR, harking back to the goal. “As good as that kick by Silva was it wasn’t nearly as good as that pass by Ederson to Jesus a few minutes earlier. Mercy.”
17 mins: Kelly is booked for tugging Jesus’s shirt, unnecessarily as the Brazilian was in his own half and not heading anywhere interesting.
Updated
15 mins: Gosling makes the most of slight contact from Gundogan, and wins a free-kick in his own half. Despite conceding, Bournemouth overall seem to have been encouraged by the way this game has started.
13 mins: City have not had a great few minutes since the goal. Their passing has been less precise, and Bournemouth have had a couple of opportunities having won the ball to play an incisive pass. They haven’t taken them, but still.
10 mins: Bournemouth nearly have a chance, but Solanke’s touch runs just behind Gosling.
9 mins: Fernandinho cracks a stinging low drive just wide from 25 yards.
7 mins: It was an excellent shooting chance, with Bournemouth setting up an almost completely abysmal wall - if the free-kick was taken by a left-footer it was basically useless. Silva didn’t have to put the ball over the wall, just past them.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Bournemouth (David Silva, 6 mins)
A fabulous free-kick from David Silva, which clips the crossbar on its way in!
Updated
5 mins: Lerma goes straight through David Silva in an attempt to win the ball. He does in fact win the ball, but by then David Silva is on his arse.
4 mins: Lloyd Kelly does a rubbish long throw. Ederson eventually picks it up, and launches a phenomenal long-distance pass to send Jesus running down the right. The only problem is that the Brazilian has to wait about for an age for anyone to catch him up, and then his clever pass infield runs just beyond Silva. The pass from Ederson, though, was just ludicrous.
2 mins: Walker’s cross is pretty decent, but too high for Jesus and David Silva. Ramsdale will have Bournemouth’s second kick of the game.
2 mins: Bournemouth have kicked the ball.
1 min: Peeeep! City get the game started.
“It is annoying how well City play when they continue to bring in so many players (one never notices, except in defence),” writes Ian Copestake. “It is almost as if the very club is time-barred from being affected by changes imposed on it.” While I agree that time-barring is obviously important to them, I’ve been surprised by how well they’ve been playing of late. Even when they lost against Southampton - my favourite game since the restart, I think - they played pretty well, but just didn’t get the proverbial rub of the green.
The players are on their way out. I think Bournemouth need to win one and lose no more than one of their three remaining games if they are to stay up. Which column will this one go in? We’re about to find out!
Updated
Pep Guardiola is asked what is motivating his players tonight:
I think the players like to play football, and once they play they want to play, try to win. For the competition, for Bournemouth, for all the contenders. And try to play good.
He’s asked if his team has been selected with Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final in mind:
A little bit, but some of the players who play are going to play on Saturday. Since we came back after lockdown, every game [I change] five or six players. I continue the same way.
Updated
Eddie Howe has a chat with Sky, and is asked quite how difficult tonight’s task is:
As hard as it gets. We’re well aware of that. But it’s possible, and we take great heart from our last game, when we showed all the ingredients necessary to get us out of the difficult position we’re in. It was just nice to win again, to feel that feeling. We’re desperate for it to continue. We know we’re coming to one of the hardest grounds in the Premier League. We’re going to give it our best. Touch wood we’ll be organised and resolute, and then try to be a threat the other way as well.
Plenty of changes for Manchester City, who have half an eye on Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal and so bring in Otamendi, Stones, Gundogan, Fernandinho, David Silva and Phil Foden and leave out Laporte, Garcia, Rodri, De Bruyne, Sterling and Mahrez, who are all on the bench.
Four changes for Bournemouth, who have a superficially more winnable match at home to Southampton on Saturday which might have helped persuade Eddie Howe to leave David Brooks, Callum Wilson and Arnaut Danjuma on the bench. Nathan Ake, who was injured in the 4-1 win against Leicester, is excluded less voluntarily. Cook, Billing, King and Stanislas come in.
The teams!
These are the names on tonight’s team sheets:
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Otamendi, Stones, Mendy, Gundogan, Fernandinho, Silva, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Foden. Subs: Sterling, Zinchenko, Laporte, Rodri, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Carson, Eric Garcia, Doyle.
Bournemouth: Ramsdale, Stacey, Steve Cook, Kelly, Rico, Stanislas, Gosling, Billing, Lerma, King, Solanke. Subs: Boruc, Surman, Callum Wilson, Danjuma, Lewis Cook, Brooks, Harry Wilson, Simpson, Surridge.
Referee: Lee Mason.
Here's how we line up against Bournemouth...👇
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 15, 2020
XI | Ederson, Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Mendy, Fernandinho, Gundogan, D Silva (C), Foden, Bernardo, G Jesus.
SUBS | Carson, Sterling, Zinchenko, Laporte, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Garcia, Doyle.
📋 @HaysWorldwide
🔵 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/CdiM0PVR8T
📝 TEAM NEWS 📝
— AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth) July 15, 2020
🔺 King in from the off
🔺 Solanke starts up top
🔺 Five across midfield
Here's how we line-up for this evening's game against Manchester City! 👇#MCIBOU // #afcb 🍒 pic.twitter.com/vz8h5Pyfi5
Hello world!
While acknowledging that Brighton are not yet mathematically safe, in all probability the remaining relegation places will be filled by two of West Ham, Watford, Bournemouth and Aston Villa. The slightly curious thing here is that with just three games to play, three teams must still play two of these relegation-haunted sides, and one of those is one of them themselves, namely West Ham.
The other two are Everton (who face Aston Villa tomorrow and Bournemouth on the final day) and Manchester City (who play Watford in the league game after this one), and it could be that the Cherries and the Hornets end up separated by nothing more than the level of their pastings by Pep Guardiola’s runners-up.
In six league games since the restart City have won 5-0 on three occasions and 4-0 on another, and generally appeared to be purring. Sure, they lost at both Chelsea and Southampton, but both of those teams are considerably better than either Bournemouth or Watford, whose records against Guardiola’s side are both honkingly awful.
City have won their last nine games against Bournemouth by an aggregate score of 28-4 and last failed to beat them way back in the 20th century, while their last 12 against Watford were all won and included a 5-0, two 6-0s and an 8-0. The Hornets are three points ahead of Bournemouth with a goal difference also better by three, and even if City win both games if either one concedes a few more goals than the other it could effectively cost them goal difference supremacy, which is equivalent to a point. In other words, a stonkingly big City win here could effectively be as useful for Watford as them getting a bonus extra fixture and drawing it.
But something strange is happening to Bournemouth. After a run of one out of a possible 24 points that Harry Kane penalty decision went in their favour, followed by Leicester’s bizarre self-immolation at the weekend, and suddenly they have bagged four out of six from two difficult fixtures and are back on the survival trail. Surely the football gods can’t pull off another miracle tonight?
City meanwhile are second, will stay second, have already vanquished Uefa this week and are good at the football.
