Manchester City’s impressive 32-match unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end with a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Bournemouth, a team that has been performing well recently. This loss not only marked the end of City’s record streak but also resulted in them falling to second place in the league, now two points behind Liverpool.

City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, acknowledged that Bournemouth played at a different intensity, which his team struggled to match. He noted that they had anticipated the challenge but couldn’t cope with the pace of the game. Despite City creating late chances, Guardiola offered his congratulations to Bournemouth for their victory.

Since Guardiola took charge in 2016, he has managed City through 488 matches, achieving 360 wins, 60 draws, and 68 losses. Prior to this game, City’s last defeat was against Aston Villa on December 6, 2023. During that unbeaten stretch, they secured an impressive 26 victories and only six draws, scoring a total of 80 goals while conceding just 26. This performance allowed them to finish the previous season as Premier League champions for the third consecutive time.

While City dominated throughout much of that period, Arsenal was their closest competitor but fell short with five losses and only 71 points. Liverpool also performed well during this stretch but finished just behind Arsenal in terms of points.

Guardiola expressed pride in the team’s achievement of almost a year without a loss but recognized that they still lagged behind the all-time Premier League records for unbeaten runs. Arsenal holds the top position with an astonishing 49-match unbeaten streak from May 2003 to October 2004. Liverpool and Chelsea follow closely with their own remarkable runs.

Following this defeat to Bournemouth, City had not lost any of their previous 21 encounters with them. Guardiola mentioned he had only 13 fit players available after a recent Carabao Cup match against Tottenham. Despite fielding a strong starting lineup featuring key players like Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, City’s bench was less experienced due to injuries.

Guardiola had limited options for substitutions and confirmed that defender Ruben Dias would be unavailable until after the international break. Despite some players being less than fully fit, they made significant efforts during this demanding match.

Kevin De Bruyne marked his return by being included in the squad for the first time since mid-September but did not see any action during the game.