Manchester City took control in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification thanks to a 3-1 home victory over AFC Bournemouth, whose own hopes of possible European football came to an end.
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An Omar Marmoush stunner gave Pep Guardiola’s side an early lead. Kevin De Bruyne – on his final home appearance for the club – then missed an open goal to make it 2-0, before Bernardo Silva doubled Man City’s advantage.
Mateo Kovacic’s red card meant De Bruyne’s farewell Etihad Stadium appearance ended early, though his replacement Nico Gonzalez subsequently made it 3-0 in the 89th minute, after Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook had received his marching orders.
Daniel Jebbison grabbed a consolation goal for the 11th-placed Cherries, whose slender European hopes have now been extinguished, while Man City star Rodri made his long-awaited return to action from the bench.
Man City now sit third, and a point from their final match of the season at Fulham on Sunday should be enough to seal a top-five finish.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
37 | +45 | 83 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
37 | +34 | 71 |
| 3 |
Man City
MCI
|
37 | +26 | 68 |
| 4 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
37 | +22 | 66 |
| 5 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
37 | +20 | 66 |
| 6 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
37 | +9 | 66 |
| 7 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
37 | +13 | 65 |
How the match unfolded
Marmoush opened the scoring in exquisite fashion in the 14th minute, sending a fizzing 30-yard strike into the top-left corner, giving Kepa Arrizabalaga no chance.
The Egyptian turned provider when he brilliantly picked out De Bruyne soon after, yet from point-blank range and with the goal gaping, the Belgian hit the crossbar.
Bournemouth nearly made City pay, but Evanilson could only steer an effort onto the post after Marcus Tavernier had picked him out with an inviting cross.
Silva’s cool 38th-minute finish from Ilkay Gundogan’s slick pass made matters more comfortable for City, though Kovacic’s red card for dragging down an in-on-goal Evanilson threatened to change things.
Yet Cook’s rash challenge on Gonzalez cancelled out Bournemouth’s numerical advantage, and after celebrating the return of Rodri, who made his first appearance since suffering a serious knee injury in September, City’s supporters had a third goal to cheer.
Gonzalez curled home to add further gloss to a fine win, though Jebbison had the final say with his effort in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
De Bruyne bids farewell to the Etihad
De Bruyne showed flashes of his brilliance on his final home game for City, where he will go down as a legend.
In the early stages, De Bruyne was at the centre of the action, picking out some excellent passes, most notably one to Matheus Nunes, playing him in behind and through on goal, but the midfielder-turned-full-back failed to apply a finishing touch.
However, for all the good he did, that glaring miss from inside the six-yard box will haunt De Bruyne – though he has a catalogue of brilliant displays too look back on from down the years, of course.
It has been a tough campaign for City, who will have no major trophy to their name for the first time since the 2016/17 season. Tuesday’s display, though, at least ensured their fate is in their own hands when it comes to Champions League qualification.
They were excellent at times going forward, but that defensive frailty that has cost them this campaign was also on show – Guardiola will hope that Rodri’s return will go some way to fixing that next season.
For now, the focus will be on getting over the line. A win at Fulham would ensure a third-place finish at the least, while a draw should still be enough to guarantee Champions League qualification, given City have a much superior goal difference compared to Aston Villa, who are two points back in sixth.
Bournemouth’s season ending in a whimper
Bournemouth have had a brilliant season, one that Andoni Iraola can be proud of, but their form going into the end of the season has been poor.
After this defeat, the Cherries have only won two out of their previous 12 Premier League matches, losing six in that run.
For a team that has been so vibrant this season, they lacked a cutting edge creatively, and their only clear chance before Jebbison’s goal came when Evanilson hit the post with the score at 1-0 – no doubt, the striker should have done better, but Bournemouth will feel they could have offered more in an attacking sense.
With Dean Huijsen’s move to Real Madrid now confirmed, Bournemouth will be losing a standout star. Iraola will be hoping the Spain international is the only key player he loses, as he looks to build on the promise his side have shown across the campaign.
A home fixture against already-relegated Leicester City provides a great chance for Bournemouth to at least end their season on the right note.
Club reports
Man City report | Bournemouth report
What the managers said
Pep Guardiola: "The most important thing was to win the game and we did it against an incredible opponent. They destroyed us in the Premier League in the first leg. The games are always good, we had chances, they had chances, it was open and the people enjoy."
Andoni Iraola: “The goal they scored is one of the probably best goals of the season from Marmoush. And it has cost us some minutes to try to level the game, I think until the second half. Second half, I think we played better. We've had more of the ball, we have arrived in better situations, but we were already 2-0 down.
Final PL fixture
Key facts
Man City have won all eight of their Premier League home matches against Bournemouth, with only Arsenal (10/10 v Stoke City) having a better 100 per cent home win rate against a side.
Jebbison’s consolation for Bournemouth was their 13th goal scored via a substitute in the Premier League this season, with only Fulham (17) netting more from the bench in 2024/25.
De Bruyne created two chances for Man City against Bournemouth, taking his overall total in the Premier League to 846. Since Opta have this metric on record (2003/04), no player has created more (Cesc Fabregas also 846).
All seven of Marmoush’s Premier League goals this season have come at the Etihad Stadium. It’s the joint-most goals a Man City player has scored in a campaign with 100 per cent of them coming at home, along with Samir Nasri in 2013/14.
