Bournemouth vs Manchester City FA Cup Report

Scorers: Evanilson 21’; Haaland 49’, Marmoush 63’

Manchester City came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, booking their place in a record seventh consecutive FA Cup semi-final.

The result also marked City’s 15th successive away win in the competition, reinforcing their dominance in the world’s oldest cup competition.

Haaland Misfires as Bournemouth Take Surprise Lead

With City’s Premier League and European hopes all but fading, the FA Cup represents a crucial chance for silverware in what has otherwise been a disappointing season. However, it was Bournemouth who started sharply, testing City’s defence with early pressure.

City soon found their rhythm, and Erling Haaland had the first clear chance, heading wide from Matheus Nunes’ inviting cross.

A handball by Tyler Adams then gifted City a golden opportunity to open the scoring from the penalty spot, but Kepa Arrizabalaga guessed correctly, diving left to make a superb save and deny Haaland.

Haaland squandered another glorious chance moments later when clean through on goal, attempting a delicate chip that floated over the bar. Those missed chances came back to bite City when Bournemouth capitalised on a rare lapse.

After City lost possession deep in their own half, David Brooks fired in a cross from the right which Justin Kluivert met at the back post.

Though his initial effort was goalbound, Evanilson made sure, smashing it into the net for his second goal in as many head-to-heads against City.

O’Reilly and Marmoush Lead the City Comeback

Pep Guardiola made a key change at half-time, bringing on academy graduate Nico O’Reilly, and it paid immediate dividends. Just four minutes after the restart, O’Reilly surged down the left and squared for Haaland, who tapped in at the far post to level the scores.

City suffered a blow when Haaland was forced off with an injury on the hour mark, but his replacement Omar Marmoush made an instant impact.

Barely two minutes after coming on, the Egyptian pounced on a mistake by Antoine Semenyo, dispossessed him, and coolly slotted past Arrizabalaga to complete the turnaround.

Marmoush nearly added a second shortly after, only for Marcos Senesi to clear his header off the line as Bournemouth scrambled to keep their FA Cup dream alive.

City Hold On as Bournemouth Fall Just Short

İlkay Gündoğan struck the post late on, and James McAtee was denied in stoppage time as City continued to push. Bournemouth, to their credit, defended valiantly but lacked the firepower going forward to truly threaten an equaliser.

The final whistle confirmed Bournemouth’s exit from the competition and a 20th defeat in 22 meetings with Manchester City. Despite the defeat, Andoni Iraola’s men can turn their attention back to pushing for European qualification in the league.

City Set for Semi-Final Clash With Forest

City’s comeback sets up a tantalising FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest, where they’ll look to avenge last season’s defeat in the final to Manchester United.

While injuries remain a concern—especially Haaland’s—Guardiola’s side are now just two wins away from lifting the trophy at Wembley and salvaging silverware from a challenging campaign.