Graham Pearcey

Date: 30 March 2025

So all four FA Cup quarter finals this season were away wins. Unfortunately the fourth and last was Bournemouth versus Man City!

The main significance of this match for me was that it was my first of the season – in March!! “Shin splints” had rendered me virtually immobile for seven months but at last I was ready to give it a go and, despite a lot of sitting, walking and standing, I got through the day painlessly. Just a shame I didn’t get to see a Cherries’ victory.

The line-up was much as expected though Tavernier was absent (unwell, evidently), Smith was back on the bench and Senesi was surprisingly fit enough to start.

A penalty was unintentionally given away when Adams was alleged to have “handled” the ball during the first half. Haaland took the spot kick and Kepa caught it – and quickly initiated a Bournemouth counterattack which unfortunately came to nothing. Within a minute or two the ball was again in the Bournemouth half and Haaland attempted a shot that went wide. It just wasn’t proving to be his day!

Our goal came when a David Brooks cross from Bournemouth’s right found Kluivert at the far post; and he managed to keep it in so that Evanilson bundled the ball into the net from close range. 1-0, and so the score remained until half time.

City scored twice in the second half, first through Haaland (just four minutes after the break) and then – after Haaland had gone off injured – through substitute Marmoush with his first touch. But Bournemouth were disappointing in the second half. There was none of that fighting spirit we’ve come to expect. The performance was lacklustre: Cook and Soler being particularly disappointing as were Ouattara and Scott after they came off the bench. Iraola shuffled the pack until only three of the eleven players (Kepa, Zabarnyi and Adams) were still in their starting positions – and Cook and Ouattara played in three positions each – but all to no avail. No more cup games this season then; which, as I’ve got plenty of cup loyalty points but hardly any league ones, is particularly disappointing for me. When shall I get to see another match, I wonder?

The team lined up as follows at the start of the game:

Kepa;
Cook, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Soler;
Christie, Adams;
Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo;
Evanilson

By the end the line-up was:

Kepa;
Smith, Zabarnyi, Cook, Hill;
Scott, Adams;
Semenyo, Ouattara, Kluivert;
Jebbison

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