What You Need to Know about Man City vs. Bournemouth
It’s AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City in the Premier League!
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, No Etihad, Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City and Bournemouth are soccer teams in England’s Premier League. They play each other during competition, and it is always going to be an interesting match, especially for those fans in the crowd who like to have good teams play each other. Here is a complete breakdown of their most recent games, how the teams are faring and why these games matter, all in language a teen can understand.
Who Are the Teams?
Manchester City (Man City): One of the premier football clubs in England, and among the richest ones. They have famous faces — Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland — and play fast, attacking soccer.
Bournemouth: And you can’t leave out the little guys trying to hang on, called “The Cherries.” They are not as well-known as Man City, but they have a lot of energy and they work for everything against teams who are better than them.
Recent Matches
Premier League Match at the Etihad Stadium
Goal! Man City 4, Bournemouth 0 (Stones) First goal of the season, and Stones does it well.
Date: August 13, 2022
What happened:
City barely let their foot off the gas from the first whistle to the last. Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, and Phil Foden (though his goal was an accidental deflection), scored, so did Bournemouth, in the form of an own-goal. City had the ball all night (67 percent possession) and barely gave Bournemouth a sniff of a chance. The win maintained City’s unblemished league record against Bournemouth: 11 wins from 11 games played.
Key moments:
An exquisite pass from Haaland set up Gundogan to score.
De Bruyne handled the best business with a gorgeous goal, curled in from the outside of his boot.
Foden finished a surge for the third.
Bournemouth’s Lerma notched an unintended own goal.
Man of the Match: Kevin De Bruyne, for the goal alone, let alone his general play.
FA Cup Quarter-Final
Score: Bournemouth 1-2 Man City. It’s finished!
Date: March 30, 2025
What happened:
Bournemouth got an early goal in the match and became the first to score, but Man City came roaring back after the half. Erling Haaland got the equalizer, and Omar Marmoush scored the winner. City controlled possession in the second half and allowed Bournemouth just one shot. This win sent Man City into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time of seven straight seasons.
Key moments:
City had gifted Bournemouth the lead.
Haaland missed a second, off the bar, but converted a third.
Marmoush scored the decider not long after coming on as a replacement for Luiz Phelipe, who was forced off injured.
City’s young player, Nico O’Reilly, had a big say with an assist.
Player of the Match: Nico O’Reilly, for tipping the scales once he entered the field.
What’s on the Line in These Games?
For Man City:
They are always fighting for trophies, and must finish the competition as high as possible to play in next season’s Champions League. Their ambitions are grand, and every victory is a vital building block toward a larger goal.
For Bournemouth:
They want to survive in the Premier League, and maybe someday try to compete in European competitions. And performing creditably against sides of Man City’s calibre proves they are capable of holding their own at the very highest level.
Fun Facts and Stats
Man City have lost just one of their past 59 games against Bournemouth in all competitions (W35 D12), a 0-1 away defeat in the Premier League in 2016, while they have won all five such games on home soil.
City tends to score plenty of goals in these matches as they play their high-passing game.
Kevin De Bruyne is typically the star, the scorer of chances as well as the creator of them.
Bournemouth will struggle to keep City at bay, but they always play with spirit, and sometimes shock the bigger boys.
What are These Games So Good About?
You also watch the games’ best players, Haaland and De Bruyne, first among them, do the thing.
Bournemouth always competes, even in an underdog role.
There’s almost always plenty of goals and thrills, particularly in City’s attacking play.
In Summary
When Manchester City and Bournemouth meet, it often looks very much like this: an entertaining, skill-laden, goal-stuffed match. City wins so many games through strength in numbers and smart tactics, but Bournemouth never gives up and sometimes keeps those games competitive. These are also exciting games to watch, whether you’re a huge fan of soccer or you’re just getting into the game!