Bournemouth 1-2 Man City: Match report & 4 talking points as substitutions change outcome of FA Cup clash | OneFootball

Manchester City needed to mount a second half comeback in order to overcome Bournemouth in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final tie at the Vitality Stadium.

It wasn’t a vintage City performances, but the Cherries could still have found themselves 3-0 down in the first half. Instead, they took a 1-0 lead into the break after a close-range strike from Evanilson.

Erling Haaland made amends for an earlier missed penalty by equalising almost straight after the restart, before Omar Marmoush won it for Pep Guardiola’s side. Nico O’Reilly, brought off the bench at half-time, set up both goals in a hugely influential performance.

How the game unfolded

Bournemouth made a bright start to the game, pressing high up the pitch and forcing Ederson into wayward long kicks, or risky turns and short passes inside his own penalty area.

But there was a warning sign when Haaland missed the target with an excellent chance from a header after ten minutes, moments before Tyler Adams conceded a penalty. The American got caught out with his hand by his head as Bernardo Silva attempted to chip a ball into a dangerous area, with not even an ounce of protest when referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot.

Fortunately for Adams, Kepa Arrizabalaga guessed right and foiled Haaland from 12 yards. Shortly afterwards, another Haaland chance went begging as he lifted the ball over Kepa and the bar.

City’s misery was quickly compounded when Evanilson broke the deadlock. Mathues Nunes was guilty of a sloppy pass that was picked off inside City’s half, with the ball eventually chipped into the box by David Brooks and Justin Kluivert meeting it at the far post. The effort was goal-bound, but Evanilson made sure to poke it over the line before Abdukhodir Khusanov could clear.

The lofty visitors continued to control the ball, but the hosting Cherries went close again towards the end of the half when Brooks delivered a teasing ball that glanced off the head of Ilkay Gundogan and only just missed the bottom far corner of Ederson’s goal.

Pep Guardiola made a telling substitution at half-time, replacing the carded Khusanov with Nico O’Reilly, tasking the home-grown midfielder with filing in at left-back but getting forward freely. That quickly paid dividends when the youngster burst in space in Bournemouth territory and laid on a chance for Haaland with a low cross to the far post that the striker couldn’t miss.

An hour in, City got ahead. O’Reilly was again the creator, winning a duel with Antoine Semenyo on the edge of the Bournemouth box and having the vision to slide a ball into Marmoush’s path. It wasn’t a brilliant finish from the January signing, but it crept under Kepa’s body nonetheless.

With Bournemouth out of steam deep into the second half, City looked far more likely to land a third than for the Cherries to pull level. Gundogan hit the post and Kepa had to be alert to save a close-range strike from James McAtee.

Check out the player ratings from Bournemouth vs Man City here.

Substitutions win it

Omar Marmoush scored after coming on / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

“They don’t look up for it,” sighed Ian Wright in the ITV studio during half-time analysis, sat alongside a seething Roy Keane, who was barely able to articulate his annoyance with a lack of application he had seen from Manchester City during the first 45 minutes.

Nico O’Reilly was the game-changer. The home-grown talent is not a natural full-back, but he replaced Abdukhodir Khusanov, who was on a yellow card from a tough first half. Josko Gvardiol shuffled inside to centre-back and O’Reilly lined up on the left.

But, rather than defend, his job was to get forward and put crosses into the box. That made the equaliser for Erling Haaland within a few moments of the game restarting. His assist for the Omar Marmoush winner was cuter and more clever, and equally effective.

Marmoush himself had only just come onto the pitch, too.

Man City still competing for two trophies

A poor season could finish with two trophies / Harry Murphy - Danehouse/GettyImages

Until half-time, Manchester City were looking at a first season without domestic silverware since Pep Guardiola’s very first year in the job in 2016/17.

The club has completely dominated English football for the best part of a decade, but this season has been one too many in that run, crumbling in the Premier League.

The Champions League dream is also already over, although this season could still end with double trophy success, thanks to the FA Cup and the bonus FIFA Club World Cup.

City are into a seventh straight FA Cup semi-final, but only two of the previous six have been converted into actually lifting the trophy.

Suspensions meant Bournemouth weren't at full strength / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez have been two huge reasons why Bournemouth have had the season they have. Neither were available here due to suspension.

At the heart of the defence in place of Huijsen, it was a first outing for Marcos Senesi since 30 November, while 20-year-Julio Soler covered Kerkez in just his second Bournemouth appearance since a January switch from South America.

Initially, it wasn’t a problem, but lacking that quality ultimately had an impact as Bournemouth faded.

Rollercoaster day for Haaland

Erling Haaland left the game injured / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

Erling Haaland could feasibly have had a first half hat-trick because of the quality of chances that he had. The Norwegian fired off target with a glorious headed opportunity and a one-on-one with Kepa Arrizabalaga, either side of his penalty that was saved by the Bournemouth goalkeeper.

From 12 yards, Haaland hasn’t impressed this season. That was a third miss from seven attempts so far in 2024/25, leaving him with a poor penalty success rate of only 57%.

He started the second half in very different fashion, gobbling up the chance laid on for him by substitute Nico O’Reilly, but soon forced off with injury after taking what appeared to be a painful ankle knock at the edge of the pitch.