Manchester City’s title tilt ended at the Vitality Stadium as Bournemouth did what they have done for 18 Premier League matches now – avoid defeat.
Here are our Scout Notes from the match.
BOURNEMOUTH UNLUCKY?
Bournemouth can consider themselves unlucky they didn’t win the match outright, as David Brooks (£5.0m) had the chance to put the hosts 2-0 up in added time. With City pushing for an equaliser, the Welsh midfielder raced clear and, with only Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.3m) to beat, contrived to hit the post.
That invited Man City to do Man City things. Namely, go up the other end and score, through Erling Haaland (£14.7m). But Pep Guardiola’s side ran out of time and Eli Kroupi Jr’s (£4.6m) first-half opener was enough to earn Bournemouth a point to secure European football for themselves next season – and a first Premier League title in 22 years for Arsenal.
It was an exciting match, Bournemouth looking the fresher and more dangerous side in the first half, playing with the incentive of Champions League football.
“Today the fatigue was there, they had 12 days to prepare that game and they played for qualification for the Champions League with an extraordinary team and are incredibly well managed.” – Pep Guardiola on tired City
City looked more threatening after the interval, once Rayan Cherki (£6.6m) and Savinho (£6.9m) had been brought off the bench, but although they outshot the Cherries by 14 shots to 10, it was Bournemouth who carved out the superior chances.
CHERKI BENCHED FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT MATCH
This was another bad day for Cherki owners, many of whom are kicking themselves for having made the errant sideways step of buying the Frenchman to replace Antoine Semenyo (£8.1m).
From Gameweek 32, Cherki started five Premier League matches in a row – and was shooting at will and creating chances galore. But he was dropped for the second match of Double Gameweek 36, benched in the FA Cup final, and a substitute again at Bournemouth.
When Pep sounded the cavalry call on 56 minutes, Cherki was unable to bend the match to his will.
But might the lower stakes on Sunday help his chances of a Gameweek 38 start? If Pep’s reservations are about the Frenchman’s off-the-ball attributes in pivotal fixtures, then he may have fewer reservations about unleashing him in a dead rubber.
Clutching at straws, perhaps…
O’REILLY A THREAT ONCE MORE
Managers frustrated to see Nico O’Reilly (£5.3m) dropped for the second match of Double Gameweek 36 will have been relieved to see his name restored to the line-up, but must have been cursing him early on in the second half. The defender found himself one-on-one with Dorde Petrovic (£4.6m) but struck his shot straight at the former Chelsea ‘keeper, It was City’s best chance of the half.
Above: O’Reilly, who had two shots, finished above all other City players for xG on Tuesday
DOKU AND SEMENYO QUIET
Semenyo thought he had scored against his former team early on in the match, but his effort was ruled offside. Thereafter, he was kept quiet by Bournemouth’s excellent defensive work, as was Jeremy Doku (£6.5m).
Indeed, it was Rodri (£6.3m) who fared the best of City’s midfielders, taking the most shots (four) and creating the joint-most chances (two). The Spaniard ended up with an assist for his efforts after his shot hit the post, and Haaland swept in the rebound.
FIVE IN FIVE FOR HAALAND
Those managers who selected Haaland as captain breathed a sigh of relief as he notched in the fifth minute of added time, but the Norwegian goal machine was reduced to two shots in a subdued performance.
He has nonetheless scored on each of his last five appearances and matched his 27 goals and eight assists of 2023/24 – City’s last title-winning season.
Unsurprisingly, Haaland cut a frustrated figure after the match and suggested they use this disappointing campaign as fuel for future success. Whether he takes it out on Aston Villa on Sunday remains to be seen.
“The whole Club should use this as motivation now. We should be angry, we should feel a fire inside our belly because it’s not good enough.
“It’s gone two years now, it feels like forever. We’re going to do everything we can, everyone who will be here next season, to win the league.” – Erling Haaland on City motivation
Afterwards, Guardiola congratulated Arsenal on their title win and praised his side for playing well in 2026. Whether he will be there in 2027 remains to be seen; if Sunday is his farewell, you get the feeling City will want to finish with a flourish against Villa.
EUROPEAN FOOTBALL SECURED FOR BOURNEMOUTH
It’s official: European football is coming to Bournemouth next season.
It could get even better: a win at Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 38 might take the Cherries (if not the departing Iraola) to the promised land.
“We have a special group of players. They are consistent and always there. Right now, there is nothing about my future in my head, I just want to celebrate and push it. We have Europa League, next let’s maximise our options. Can we take the last Champions League spot?
“I still don’t know where I will go but I’m in no rush, let’s finish on a high.” – Andoni Iraola on his future and Bournemouth’s Champions League dream
KROUPI STRIKES AGAIN
Kroupi’s break-out season gets better by the Gameweek. Here he produced a glorious goal on 39 minutes worth of winning the title – which, as chance would have it, it did, for Arsenal.
Receiving a pass from Adrien Truffert (£4.7m), he set himself up with a sublime first touch before despatching a curling strike into the top-right corner. That was his fifth goal in seven Gameweeks, and his 13th goal of the season, making him the highest-scoring teenager in a debut campaign.
Nottingham Forest will need to be at their resolute best on Sunday.
Above: The leading forwards for minutes per goal in 2025/26
Another product of Bournemouth’s teenage production factory almost stole Kroupi’s thunder. Rayan (£5.4m) was called up for Brazil’s World Cup squad on Monday and he almost celebrated the occasion with a goal. The South American, also 19, had two shots on goal, one of which struck Donnarumma’s upright. That would have been his fourth goal in as many matches.
MORE DEFCONS FOR SENESI
An excellent defensive performance was scuppered at the death by Haaland’s last-gasp strike, which was harsh on the Bournemouth back line.
Marcos Senesi (£5.2m) nonetheless picked up DefCon points for the third match in a row to take his DefCon total to 50 – more than any defender in the game and just two short of the leader, Elliot Anderson (£5.6m), whom he faces on Sunday.
Above: Players banking DefCon points in Bournemouth v Man City
