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Manchester City’s hopes of retaining the Premier League title came to an end on Tuesday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, despite the relentless efforts of Erling Haaland. The visitors had travelled to the south coast aiming to cut the gap to Arsenal to just two points before Sunday’s final round and give Pep Guardiola a chance to lift the trophy for the seventh time before stepping down as manager.

However, City never looked settled, perhaps distracted by the intense media focus following confirmation that Guardiola will bring his decade-long reign at the Etihad Stadium to an end, or possibly fatigued after their FA Cup triumph over Chelsea at Wembley last weekend. Whatever the reason, they were well below their usual standards in the opening half and conceded six minutes before the break to a superb strike from Eli Junior Kroupi.

Guardiola attempted to spark a reaction early in the second half, substituting Antoine Semenyo—who endured a disappointing return to his former club—along with the unusually quiet Bernardo Silva and the underwhelming Mateo Kovacic. Unfortunately for City, none of the substitutes managed to shift the momentum in their favour.

Bournemouth, managed by Andoni Iraola, could have taken all three points as they created several clear-cut chances but failed to convert them. Their wastefulness was punished late on when Haaland produced a brilliant injury-time finish after a goalmouth scramble to earn City a point.

Despite the late equaliser, the result was not enough to keep City in the title race, leaving the club staring at an uncertain future without one of the most influential managers in football history.

Below are the player ratings for Manchester City from a difficult evening at the Vitality Stadium:

Goalkeeper & Defence

Gigi Donnarumma (7/10):

Had no chance with Kroupi’s outstanding strike but made several crucial saves to keep City in contention.

Matheus Nunes (4/10):

Targeted by Bournemouth as City’s defensive weak spot, it was no surprise their opening goal came from his flank.

Abdukodir Khusanov (5/10):

The Uzbekistan defender struggled with his positioning and was often caught out of place, contributing to City’s lack of solidity at the back.

Marc Guehi (5/10):

Had a tough outing, losing too many individual battles against Bournemouth’s attackers.

Nico O'Reilly (5/10):

Looked uncomfortable defensively and missed a golden chance to equalise early in the second half after being set up by Haaland.

Midfield

Rodri (7/10):

Started brightly, dictating play with precise passing and even hit the post before Haaland’s goal. However, he couldn’t maintain his usual dominance as Bournemouth repeatedly exposed City on the counter.

Mateo Kovacic (3/10):

Offered little both defensively and offensively in a poor display. Substituted shortly after the interval.

Bernardo Silva (4/10):

Normally a key influence in City’s big games, but he never got into rhythm and was replaced before the hour mark.

Attack

Antoine Semenyo (5/10):

Created an early chance for Doku and thought he had scored before being denied by an offside call. His energy faded as the match went on and was taken off soon after the break.

Erling Haaland (8/10):

Supplied an excellent through-pass for Semenyo’s disallowed effort and another for O’Reilly that went begging. When finally given a clear opening in stoppage time, he delivered with a typically clinical finish.

Jeremy Doku (5/10):

Produced a clever feint to create space but failed to test the goalkeeper properly. Despite seeing plenty of the ball, he couldn’t make a lasting impact and was subbed off with 15 minutes to play.

Substitutes & Manager

Rayan Cherki (5/10):

Perhaps deserved to start, but couldn’t influence proceedings after coming on for more than half an hour.

Phil Foden (5/10):

Showed flashes of the form he displayed against Crystal Palace last week but couldn’t provide the creative spark City needed.

Savinho (5/10):

Came on for Semenyo but made little difference on the wing.

Omar Marmoush (N/A):

Introduced for Doku in the final 15 minutes, with limited time to make an impact.

Pep Guardiola (4/10):

A disappointing night for the departing boss. His choice to start Kovacic over Cherki backfired, and none of his tactical changes altered the outcome. A subdued end to his Premier League farewell campaign.