In the middle of a pitch bathed in coastal sunshine, Vincent Kompany and Simon Francis met referee Mike Dean for a coin high five procession. Kompany won the toss but chose the goal, so AFC Bournemouth will take the first kick-off in front of their own fans.
Mike Dean blew his long whistle. Jermain Defoe passed the ball back, and surprisingly, Eddie Howe's men did not immediately retreat to "park the bus". They tried to carry out a lightning attack through the wing occupied by Ryan Fraser. However, Fernandinho's defensive vision is still too strong; With one clean tackle, he cut off the flow of the ball and immediately diverted the attack to the right side where Kevin De Bruyne was waiting.
De Bruyne did a quick scan immediately after receiving the ball. He played a very precise one-two with David Silva, pulling Dan Gosling out of position. As soon as the ball returned to his feet, De Bruyne saw a gaping gap between the midfielder and the opposing defender. On the left side, Bernardo Silva has started his acceleration.
With one classy touch, De Bruyne released a curved through ball that split the Cherries' defense. The ball rolled right into Bernardo Silva's running path, who was now in the penalty box.
"Look at that pass! Kevin De Bruyne has just dissected the Bournemouth defense with one swing of his foot!" continued Martin Tyler in the commentator's booth. "Bernardo Silva cuts in from the left, he sees David Silva in the middle... Oh, what a dangerous cut-back!"
However, just before the ball reached David Silva's feet, Steve Cook made a crucial interception. With a perfect read of his position, Cook cleared the ball out of the danger zone before any other City players could react.
"It's extraordinary how Steve Cook saw Bernardo Silva's movement and managed to read Bernardo Silva's next action, Manchester City's fast attack failed to penetrate Bournemouth's defense." Alan Smith's voice was full of enthusiasm seeing how both teams showed their respective attack and defense strengths at the start of the first half.
"That's right – I'm sure that even though it's very likely that with the formation that Bournemouth are using they will play defensively but they can definitely also launch attacks. And for Manchester City with the return of David Silva we will see how this player shows the game to make Manchester City dominate the match," exclaimed Tyler, continuing Alan Smith's words.
Rumblings of disappointment could be heard from the corners of the stands which were filled with thousands of away Manchester City fans who were ready to cheer. On the other hand, the home fans screamed in relief, giving loud applause for the alacrity of their back line in blocking the giant's first attack.
On the City bench, the atmosphere seemed tense but enthusiastic. William moved his seat forward slightly, his eyes never leaving the position of Steve Cook and Nathan Aké.
"Very thin," whispered Phil Foden while shaking his head. "Even though Kevin's pass was perfect."
William nodded slowly, his brain starting to work analyzing the opponent's defensive patterns. "Steve Cook closed the space very well, but he left a little gap behind him when he made the interception earlier. If Bernardo had released the pass a little higher, Cook wouldn't have been able to reach it," muttered William, an analysis that proves that even on the bench, he still positions himself as "The Puppeteer".
"You talk too much with the Boss and Arteta, your analysis is like the two of them now" interrupted Aguero who was sitting near William.
"I also felt like that after you said that," Foden exclaimed, looking narrowly at William, "the point is, you're talking like an old man," he continued.
"Ugh–it's up to you two," William answered while rubbing his face.
Pep Guardiola on the sidelines appeared to be clapping his hands, encouraging his team to continue pressing, while Eddie Howe was seen giving strict instructions so that his back line would no longer provide space for De Bruyne.
Entering the 10th minute, Manchester City's dominance of ball possession began to feel dead in front of the layered wall built by Eddie Howe. Martin Tyler in the commentary box began to highlight the frustration visible on the faces of City's forwards.
"The Cherries' back line was extraordinary disciplined this afternoon," said Tyler while looking at Gabriel Jesus who had lost the ball again. "Every time David Silva or De Bruyne tried to send a vertical pass, there was always a Bournemouth player's foot in the way. They really stuck to every move."
Alan Smith nodded before adding "That's right – I'm sure even Guardiola is now having a headache seeing how Bournemouth's players always manage to hold off his team's attacks."
"What a very neat discipline from the Bournemouth players and the patience that the Manchester City players must continue to maintain," he continued.
"If they want to score goals, Manchester City players must be smarter in taking advantage of the opportunities they create, they must not waste even the slightest chance against a team whose defense is solid at the moment," exclaimed Martin Tyler.
Then in the 10th minute of the match the Home team finally had a slight chance to counter-attack – Nathan Aké with perfect positional reading managed to snatch the ball from Gabriel Jesus' feet right on the halfway line. Without wasting time, Aké fired a short pass to Andrew Surman.
Surman received the ball with his right foot, made a beautiful body turn to escape Fernandinho's control, then accelerated quickly forward. Seeing Joshua King start to run between the center defenders, Surman sent a sharp through pass using the tip of his foot.
"Here it comes! Bournemouth's counterattack!" shouted Alan Smith enthusiastically. "Joshua King has space! But look at Benjamin Mendy! He runs like a jet engine to cover the space!"
Mendy used his physical advantage to get ahead of King, positioning his body firmly so that the Bournemouth striker could not reach the ball. The ball finally rolled straight into the arms of Ederson who caught it very calmly. Once the ball was secured, Ederson immediately threw it towards Vincent Kompany to start a quick counter-attack, but Bournemouth's players showed incredible transitions—they all ran straight down and were back in defense within seconds.
"What a shame – Bournemouth's long-awaited attack failed even though this was a rare attacking opportunity" Alan Smith's voice was heard at this time.
"They finally had a chance but a brilliant defensive touch from Mendy denied it," praised Alan Smith. "Not only did he win the contest on the run, but he was clever with his body. And huge credit must go to Eddie Howe's side; they attacked with courage, but had the discipline to get back into position when the attack failed. This was not an easy team to beat."
On the sidelines, Pep Guardiola appeared to be giving instructions to Fernandinho to be more alert to Surman's movements. Meanwhile, Eddie Howe clapped his hands in appreciation for the courage of his team's students in counter-pressing.
On the City bench, William Carter watched with a frown. "Their transition was very neat," William whispered to Aguero. "They don't leave any holes when they attack. We need something quicker than just short passes if we want to break them down."
The home fans at Vitality Stadium cheered loudly, feeling proud to see their team dare to trouble the champion candidate. On the other hand, the City fans started to look tense, realizing that this match would not be as easy as they had imagined.
Ederson swiftly started a quick transition after catching the ball, he immediately passed the ball to Vincent Kompany to initiate a counterattack. Jermain Defoe immediately lunged at the captain to apply pressure, but Kompany calmly sent a short pass to Otamendi, who then passed the ball quickly to Kevin De Bruyne in midfield.
"Oh–an extraordinary move from Kompany but Jermain Defoe's tireless attack should not be underestimated either," exclaimed Martin Tyler.
De Bruyne once again showcased his incredible game vision; with just one sharp glance, he saw Raheem Sterling find empty space on the right side. With a brilliant move, De Bruyne sent a diagonal pass between the Bournemouth defense, cutting them apart like a scalpel.
"Kevin De Bruyne! His vision is truly extraordinary!" exclaimed the second commentator. "Great ball—this is why he's world class."
And Sterling – the English striker received the ball using the outside of his foot very smoothly, as if receiving a gift from a close friend, without reducing his acceleration speed in the slightest.
Charlie Daniels, tasked with covering the left side of Bournemouth's defence, immediately got into a low position, his eyes glued to the ball and determined not to be the butt of Sterling's jokes. Sterling cleverly slowed his tempo to provoke a mistake, making a subtle dribble that alerted Daniels. Suddenly, Sterling made an explosive acceleration; Daniels reacted instinctively to cut outside, but Sterling instead made an inside cut that tripped Daniels and fell behind.
As soon as he entered the penalty box, Sterling released a cut-back pass slightly behind which made Nathan Aké and Steve Cook lose momentum. There, David Silva was waiting with an open shooting range.
Andrew Surman, who also came down to help the defense, tried to block, but Silva made a feint kick that completely outwitted him.
Without mercy, David Silva fired a curling shot with his left foot towards the corner of the goal. Asmir Begović tried his best by jumping high to ward off the ball, but the ball was much faster and lodged heavily in the goal.
"Goal! David Silva! Great teamwork from Manchester City!" shouted Martin Tyler excitedly. "Sterling breaks down Daniels' defense, and Silva finishes with the poise of a maestro!"
"It's extraordinary how Manchester City finally managed to score a goal in the 11th minute with everyone starting from their goalkeeper, then their defenders, their midfielders with extraordinary vision and passing, their forwards with fantastic dribbles and also David Silva's finishing which went straight into the goal guarded by Asmir Begovic" Alan Smith's voice was full of enthusiasm and his analysis was so fluent.
On the bench, William Carter and Phil Foden immediately jumped to their feet and applauded enthusiastically when they saw the opening goal. William smiled broadly seeing how his seniors dismantled Bournemouth's layered defense in just a few seconds of transition.
Pep Guardiola on the sidelines was seen pumping his fists in the air, celebrating the goal which proved that his tactical instructions were working perfectly. Meanwhile, Eddie Howe looked disappointed and immediately gave strict instructions to Charlie Daniels not to give Sterling any more space on the wing.
In the away stands, Manchester City fans cheered happily and shouted David Silva's name. The Citizens were very happy to have their mainstay player back and he immediately scored a goal in this match.
As for the Bournemouth fans, they were all very disappointed to see their team concede first even though they knew that facing Manchester City was very difficult, especially with a player like Kevin De Bruyne in the middle.
On the pitch, after the Manchester City players celebrated near the corner flag, the match continued.
The match of course went on like at the start where Manchester City dominated the match with their short passes and possession of the ball, while for Bournemouth they continued to follow Eddie Howe's instructions and played defensively even though they were behind.
Entering the 20th minute, the atmosphere at the Vitality Stadium suddenly changed drastically. Starting from Manchester City's corner kick scheme which failed to produce results, the wild ball was successfully secured by the home defense and immediately sent towards the midfield.
Ryan Fraser showed incredible determination by winning a running battle against Danilo to get possession of the ball first. Without wasting any time, he launched a quick counterattack through a dynamic one-two pass collaboration with Dan Gosling. Gosling, who overlapped at full speed, managed to draw City's midfielders out before firing a key pass to Jermain Defoe.
Defoe, with the ingenuity of a veteran striker, managed to escape from the control of Vincent Kompany who was already advancing forward. From the wing, Defoe sent a very precise soaring cross into the heart of the City defense. Joshua King greeted him with a powerful header that crashed towards the goal. Ederson actually showed extraordinary reflexes by successfully parrying the header, but unfortunately, the ball was not thrown far.
The rebound ball fell right into Harry Arter's shooting space. Without control, Arter fired a hard volley which plunged straight into the corner of the goal. Ederson, who had just tried to get up from his first save, could only stare as his net shook.
"Goal! Bournemouth hit back! Vitality explodes!" shouted Martin Tyler hoarsely. "A textbook counter-attack from Eddie Howe's men. They punished City for being too busy attacking!"
Alan Smith added admiringly, "Look at that transition. Fraser, Gosling, then Defoe's pass. City lost their defensive shape because Kompany was caught in the wrong position. Ederson had done his job by blocking King's header, but Harry Arter was in the right place at the right time. What a clean volley finish!"
"A rare attack but they managed to convert it into a goal, a truly tireless team" Alan Smith's voice was also full of enthusiasm.
"We saw how Manchester City dominated the match from the start of the first half, scoring the first goal, but look at how the Bournemouth players were tireless after being completely attacked and they managed to score the equalizer," he continued.
On the City bench, the smiles that had graced the faces of the reserve players suddenly disappeared. William Carter seemed to clench his jaw tightly. He saw how his team's defense line was destroyed in just one quick transition scheme.
"We were too open in the middle during the corner kick," William muttered to Phil Foden. "Fraser was allowed to run undisturbed. This is dangerous."
Pep Guardiola on the sidelines looked angry. He shouted at Danilo and Kompany, gesturing for them to be more disciplined in maintaining depth. Meanwhile, Eddie Howe celebrated the goal emotionally with his coaching staff, realizing that his team was capable of putting up a match against the giants.
The score has now changed to 1-1, and the match is much more open than before.
The fans again showed different sides where some were happy and some were sad when they saw this goal.
After a goal back from Bournemouth, Manchester City tried to take control of the game. They returned to their original identity: a combination of quick short passes that rotated from one side to the other, trying to draw the Cherries players out of their nests. However, the high level of discipline shown by Nathan Aké and Steve Cook made the Bournemouth penalty box seem like an impregnable fortress.
Throughout the match the two commentators continued to talk.
Martin Tyler: "It was incredible how Bournemouth closed every gap. David Silva tried to provide a through ball, but Harry Arter was always there to cut off the flow of the ball."
Alan Smith: "That's right, Martin. City looked a little frustrated. They had up to 70% possession, but Bournemouth were very comfortable letting City have the ball in less dangerous areas."
Martin Tyler: "Look at Kevin De Bruyne's movements. He is starting to drop further back to pick up the ball. This is a sign that creativity in the front line is being blocked."
Alan Smith: "Danilo and Mendy also continued to send in crosses, but Nathan Aké was very dominant in today's aerial duel. Gabriel Jesus didn't get any space at all."
Martin Tyler: "Eddie Howe must be very satisfied with his tactical instructions which have worked perfectly so far. City were forced to take speculative shots from outside the box."
Alan Smith: "They need a moment of magic or a small error from Bournemouth to get back in front before the end of the first half."
They both saw how the two teams, one relying on their solid and sturdy defense while the other on their short passing game and varied attack combinations.
Then came the end of the game.
The fourth assistant referee raised the electronic board showing 2 minutes of added time. Right in the 45+1 minute, a hard foul was committed by Dan Gosling on Raheem Sterling about 20 meters from Asmir Begović's goal.
All City players came forward. Kevin De Bruyne stood in front of the ball, his eyes staring intently at the Bournemouth posse. Begović shouted to adjust his friends' positions, anticipating Kevin De Bruyne's signature curling kick.
However, De Bruyne did something unexpected. Instead of shooting directly, he pushed the ball short to the side—right into the path of Vincent Kompany who came from the back line unmarked. The Captain made one small control, then fired a very hard cannonball kick. The ball plunged heavily towards the top corner of the goal without being able to be blocked by Begović's hand which was already flying at its maximum.
"DE BRUYNE... COMPANYYYY!!! AMAZING! GOOOLLL!!! A very clever free kick scheme! The Captain has given us the lead again!"
"It's amazing how they both did something like that in the final minutes of the first half with the score still at 1-1." Martin Tyler's excited voice immediately echoed when he saw the goal scored by Kompany.
"What a clean technique from Kompany! Everyone thought De Bruyne was going to shoot, but their vision was completely on another level!"
"I don't know but it seems like the mentality of all the Manchester City players has now changed after the previous season they didn't get any results even though their coach was Josep Guardiola – and Guardiola seems to have succeeded in awakening something within the Manchester City players." This time it came from Alan Smith as usual, although he was enthusiastic he still continued his in-depth analysis.
Kompany immediately ran towards the edge of the field with his arms spread wide. City players from the field immediately surrounded him. William, who had been itching to graze for a long time, ran from the bench area excitedly. He approached the captain and jumped on Kompany's shoulders while shouting to celebrate the crucial goal. This scene shows how solid the relationship between the young and senior players on this team is.
On the sidelines, Pep Guardiola made his trademark celebration, shaking his fist towards the City supporters' stands with a face full of relief. In contrast, Eddie Howe looked devastated, shaking his head to see his hard defensive work destroyed by a set piece in the final seconds.
The Manchester City fans who filled the away side of the stand cheered wildly, singing Kompany's name loudly. Meanwhile, the home fans were silent, not expecting their team to concede just before the break.
Shortly after the ball was kicked again from the center point, referee Mike Dean blew the long whistle twice. The first half ended with the score 1-2 in favor of Manchester City.
When the final whistle of the first half sounded, the contrast of emotions was clear throughout the corridor leading to the Vitality Stadium dressing rooms. The Manchester City players walked with light steps and wide smiles; Vincent Kompany was seen laughing as he put his arm around Kevin De Bruyne's shoulder, discussing the success of their clever free kick scheme which had just come to fruition. William, who had just stepped off his captain's back after wild celebrations on the touchline, walked in looking excited, occasionally giving Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling a high-five.
In contrast, the scene at Bournemouth looked very gloomy. Nathan Aké walked with his head bowed while wiping his sweat-covered face, while Steve Cook and Charlie Daniels appeared to be having a quiet argument about how Kompany managed to escape guard at the last second. Conceding in the extra minute of injury time (45+1) really destroyed their mentality which had previously soared thanks to Harry Arter's volley.