THE Cherries stunned top-of-the-table Manchester City with a sensational 2-1 victory to record their first win over the Citizens in their history.
Andoni Iraola’s Cherries deservedly led at the break after a fantastically taken Antoine Semenyo goal after just nine minutes.
The lead was doubled by striker Evanilson shortly after the hour mark, as the Brazilian finished past his countryman Ederson after a pinpoint cross from Milos Kerkez on the left.
The visitors got one back through a Josko Gvardiol header with eight minutes to play, but the Cherries held out off constant late pressure to record an historic victory.
Andoni Iraola made three changes from the starting eleven that drew to Aston Villa last weekend.
Adam Smith, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson came in for Julian Araujo, Dango Ouattara and Enes Unal, while Mark Travers started again as Kepa Arrizabalaga is still injured.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola named players in his match day squad who he had said would be out through injury, including Josko Gvardiol and Kyle Walker, who started, and Kevin de Bruyne, who was named on the bench.
Former Cherry Nathan Ake also started for the visitors.
City got the game underway but it was the hosts who went close within the first minute and possibly should have taken the lead, but for Ederson’s double intervention in the City net.
Semenyo robbed Ake on halfway and Tavernier drove forward with a four on three for the Cherries.
He found Semenyo, with his shot saved by the Brazilian, before Justin Kluivert side footed towards goal from the rebound, Ederson getting across brilliantly to save behind.
But the Cherries opened the scoring not long later, with Antoine Semenyo finding the back of the net after nine minutes.
Milos Kerkez did well to drive to the byline and cut back to the Ghanaian, who stopped the ball dead with his first touch before firing low into the back of the net.
The hosts started as much the better side and looked a threat to the City defence.
Just before the half an hour mark, Semenyo broke away from a Citizens’ corner, and Bournemouth briefly had a four-on-two, but he couldn’t find a teammate, before Kluivert shot wide from outside the box.
Kerkez then did well to get down to block a Bernardo Silva shot, after Travers got down with his leg to divert a dangerous cross across the face of the goal.
Erling Haaland shot wide after bringing down a cross and cutting inside Marcos Senesi, before Cherries broke through Kerkez, but the Hungarian couldn’t find a teammate and Smith’s cross was claimed by Ederson.
Referee Michael Oliver brought the first period to a close, with the Cherries deservedly in the lead.
The hosts went close inside the first minute of the second period.
A long ball up from the back found Semenyo who charged into the box, but a slightly heavy touch saw Evanilson get a shot off, which was saved behind by Ederson.
Phil Foden dragged a shot wide for City after 51 minutes, before Haaland went down after a heavy, but fair, challenge from Lewis Cook just before the hour mark and received treatment.
The Norwegian was ok to continue, and the Cherries went close again moments later, as Semenyo broke into the City half – his pass to Kluivert was weak, though, and when the ball came back to the Ghanaian, his shot was deflected wide.
The Cherries lead was doubled after 64 minutes, with Semenyo again involved.
The Ghanaian played a great ball in for the onrushing Kerkez down the left, with his pinpoint cross put into the back of the net by Evanilson, wrongfooting his Brazilian countryman in the City net.
The first change of the afternoon saw Tyler Adams replace Christie, before Tavernier went close to adding a third, beating Ederson with a curled effort from the edge of the box, but the ball struck the post and Smith blasted the follow up over the bar.
Walker was then booked for a foul on Semenyo as the game entered the final 20 minutes.
Ake was replaced by Rico Lewis after half-hearted penalty shouts from the Cherries as Kerkez went down under an Ederson challenge.
Iraola made a double change with 14 minutes to play, with Enes Unal and David Brooks replacing Evanilson and Kluivert.
Brooks nearly made an instant impact, firing into the side netting from inside the box, before the visitors had their first shot on target of the afternoon through Haaland, but Travers saved easily.
City got one back with eight minutes to play, as Gvardiol rose above Kerkez to head into the top corner from a Ilkay Gundogan cross.
Gundogan was replaced by Jeremy Doku, before Travers saved well from the replacement at the near post.
Dean Huijsen came on for Tavernier as the Cherries aimed to see the game out, with Travers getting down to save well from Haaland.
The game entered six added minutes with the visitors piling the pressure onto the Bournemouth box.
Adams was booked for a foul on Doku, as the Cherries resisted the constant pressure in a nervy finish.
But they saw out a famous, historic win on the south coast as they beat Manchester City for the first time in their history.
The win takes Bournemouth up to eighth in the Premier League on 15 points.
AFC Bournemouth: 42, M. Travers; 3, M. Kerkez; 5, M. Senesi; 27, I. Zabarnyi; 15, A. Smith (c); 10, R. Christie (booked, 6')(T. Adams 66'); 4, L. Cook; 16, M. Tavernier (Dean Huijsen 90'); 19, J. Kluivert (D. Brooks 77'); 24, A. Semenyo; 9, Evanilson (E. Ünal 77').
Manchester City: 31, Ederson; 24, J. Gvardiol; 6, N. Aké (R. Lewis 73'); 25, M. Akanji; 2, K. Walker (c), (booked,71'); 8, M. Kovačić; 27, Matheus Nunes; 19, İ. Gündoğan (J. Doku 85'), 20, Bernardo Silva; 47, P. Foden; 9, E. Haaland.
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