In the last 21 meetings in all competitions, Bournemouth has only drawn twice, in 1989 and 1999, and lost 19 times. Bournemouth was ebullient for the Premier League champions' arrival after defeating Arsenal and drawing with Aston Villa, and they established the tone right away.

With only two minutes remaining, Ederson made a great double save, but he was helpless when Antoine Semenyo sent a shot into the corner in the ninth minute. The first half concluded with Bournemouth supporters yelling "ole" as their team finished every pass, while Manchester City's reaction did not come throughout that half. Just one minute into the second half, Ederson denied Evanilson, but just after the hour, Bournemouth's record acquisition made up for it, giving the Cherries a well-earned two-goal lead. Erling Haaland's volley in the 80th minute was feeble and easily stopped, but it was City's first attempt on goal.