Man City vs Bournemouth LIVE: Hosts into Champions League places in Kevin De Bruyne’s final home game
Manchester City 3-1 Bournemouth: Kevin De Bruyne’s farewell tour was cut short by Mateo Kovacic’s red card but the hosts wrapped up all three points to move to third
Manchester City’s bid to qualify for the Champions League received a boost as they gave Kevin De Bruyne the send-off he deserved in his final home game.
The hosts beat Bournemouth 3-1 at the Etihad to move into third in the top flight, and require only one more point to secure Champions League qualification for next season despite a largely poor campaign.
Omar Marmoush broke the deadlock in the opening stages with a moment of brilliance, curling in a screamer from nearly 30 yards out, while De Bruyne himself had the chance to double their lead but rattled the crossbar from close range in the first half.
Bernardo Silva made sure of their lead, however, as Bournemouth were penalised for a largely sluggish and uninspiring display, before substitute Nico Gonzalez - on for the departing De Bruyne - slotted home his first Premier League goal shortly before full-time.
It was a dramatic game with both sides reduced to 10 men in rapid succession, City hit first when Mateo Kovacic was sent off for a pull-back on Evanilson when the Bournemouth forward was through on goal - necessitating De Bruyne’s early exit - before Lewis Cook was also given a straight red for a studs-up challenge on substitute Nico Gonzalez. Daniel Jebbison clawed one back for the Cherries but it was too little, too late as they saw their own European hopes go up in smoke.
Relive the action with The Independent’s liveblog here:
‘You learn who you can go to war with’: Bernardo Silva reveals lessons from Man City’s ‘bad’ season
It is three decades since the FA Cup was won by the ‘dogs of war’. It is fair to say Pep Guardiola has never modelled his midfields on the scrappers and scufflers who brought Joe Royle’s Everton glory in 1995. But, some 30 years on, after another FA Cup final that a Manchester club entered as favourites and lost 1-0 to underdogs, the lament from Bernardo Silva was that a Guardiola side had too few warriors.
Bernardo Silva reveals lessons from Man City’s ‘bad’ season
Real Madrid activate £50m release clause to sign Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen
Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen will move to Real Madrid in time to feature in the Club World Cup after the Spanish giants activated his £50m release clause.
Madrid have moved to sign the 20-year-old defender on a five-year deal after his impressive performances this season brought him to the attention of several clubs across Europe.
The deal was jointly announced by both clubs, with Madrid saying that Huijsen will join their ranks on 1 June, two weeks before the Club World Cup kicks off in the United States. Madrid’s first match is against Al Hilal on 18 June.
Real Madrid activate £50m release clause to sign Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen
Champions League qualification permutations: What each team needs for top five
The race for the final three Champions League qualification spots will go down to the wire on the final day of the Premier League season.
The top-five teams in the Premier League, plus the winner of the Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, will qualify directly.
Champions Liverpool and runners-up Arsenal have already booked their spot, as Manchester City, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest battle for the remaining places.
There is just one point separating those five teams heading into the final week, with City playing their game in hand at home to Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
The final day of the season should be a cracker with Nottingham Forest hosting Chelsea in a potential Champions League play-off.
Champions League qualification permutations: What each team needs for top five
Team news - Bournemouth
Two changes for Bournemouth from their recent defeat to Aston Villa.
Julian Araujo starts at right-back ahead of Adam Smith and Alex Scott, who fractured his jaw in that loss, is replaced by Justin Kluivert.
There’s also a start for Dean Huijsen at centre-back: the youngster will join Real Madrid in the summer after they activated his £50m release clause, a tidy sum.
Team news - Man City
Even Pep Guardiola isn’t immune to the emotional resonane of Kevin De Bruyne’s final home game for City. The Belgian will start and captain the squad.
Four changes then for City from the FA Cup final defeat, with Kovacic - who missed it - coming into the starting XI along with Ilkay Gundogan and Matheus Nuns. Jeremy Doku, Savinho and Nico O’Reilly drop to the bench.
Ederson is also back in goal, while Rodri makes it onto the bench after his lengthy absence.
Line-ups - Bournemouth
Bournemouth XI: Kepa, Araujo, Zabaryni, Huijsen, Kerkez, Cook, Adams, Tavernier, Semenyo, Kluivert, Evanilson.
Substitutes: Dennis, Senesi, Smith, Soler, Akinmboni, Brooks, Winterburn, Jebbison, Silcott-Duberry.
Line-ups - Man City
Man City XI: Ederson, Nunes, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Marmoush, Haaland.
Substitutes: Ortega, Ake, Grealish, Doku, Nico, Rodri, Foden, Bobb, O'Reilly
Eberechi Eze secures Crystal Palace glory to evoke the very best of the FA Cup
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ll have seen that in City’s last outing, they lost the FA Cup final. Can they bounce back from defeat today, or can Bournemouth give Pep Guardiola even more to fume on?
Eze secures Crystal Palace glory to evoke the very best of the FA Cup
Kevin De Bruyne’s Manchester City legacy is secure but his future looks uncertain
Kevin de Bruyne had a way of shrugging off the disappointment. Saturday could have finished with him lifting the FA Cup as Manchester City captain, a final trophy to add to a vast collection. “Yeah, okay. I could have won 20, I have 19 now,” he said. “It's alright, this doesn't change anything that's happened in the past 10 years. Of course I want to win, but I wanted to win last year also. There's things that happen and it's been amazing, so what can I say? It's mostly been really, really good moments, so that's life.”
That phlegmatic approach extended to the manner of his departure. City didn’t offer their greatest player a new contract, even if the last few weeks have shown he remains an astonishingly good passer of the ball, even if the tributes have flowed from Pep Guardiola and his teammates and even, before Saturday’s defeat to Crystal Palace, from the Prince of Wales. “The decision is what it is,” reflected De Bruyne. “Obviously it's not something that was nice at the moment, but I accept it and I move on. It's not the end of life.”
Kevin De Bruyne’s Manchester City legacy is secure but his future looks uncertain
‘Unique’ Kevin De Bruyne leaves Man City with an impossible question
Senior football correspondent Richard Jolly had this to say on the plans for De Bruyne’s final home game:
It will be Kevin De Bruyne’s night. Although, in some respects, it doesn’t really sound like his kind of occasion. De Bruyne has been Manchester City’s down-to-earth superstar, the footballer who does the school run. There will be a light show after his final game at the Etihad Stadium. When De Bruyne’s name has been up in lights, it has tended to be because of talent, rather than preference, due to the way he manipulates a ball rather than chases fame. He might not have chosen this, just as he didn’t choose to leave this year.
But a farewell involves a recognition, a celebration. Of a decade that has brought 19 trophies, 108 goals, 173 assists, moments that no one else could imagine, let alone produce. There will be a guard of honour from his teammates and a lap of appreciation, pyrotechnics and presents, some handed over by Marie and Jon Bell, the wife and son of Colin. Their late husband and father long had the status of City’s greatest player. Now that probably rests with De Bruyne.
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