After Manchester City's season took a downward turn following a defeat at Bournemouth, manager Pep Guardiola hopes Sunday’s 2-1 comeback victory over the same opponent will help his side rediscover the "soul" that has been missing in recent months.
Second-half goals from Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush secured City’s place in the FA Cup semifinals for a record seventh consecutive season, avenging their 2-1 Premier League loss to Bournemouth in November.
That defeat ended City's 32-game unbeaten run in the competition and marked the beginning of a slump, with the defending champions losing four straight league matches. They managed just one win in their next eight Premier League fixtures, dealing a significant blow to their pursuit of a historic fifth consecutive title.
“We spoke a lot about that game—how we lost deservedly here against Bournemouth. That was when our downturn began this season,” Guardiola told reporters on Sunday.
“This season, we’ve had more games like that, which is why we haven’t deserved more. The most important thing today was that the players learned from it.
“I told them we cannot accept performances like that again, especially when our fans have traveled five hours to watch us. What we have lacked this season is heart, soul—the hunger we’ve had for so many years.”
Guardiola admitted City began making “incredible mistakes” following their loss at Bournemouth, a decline that contributed to their Champions League exit in February after consecutive defeats to Real Madrid.
Currently fifth in the Premier League, City have won just once in their last four league outings and recently suffered a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest—their first loss to Forest since 2009.
“As a team, we lost our heart. That’s what we need to recover—both for the rest of this season and for the future.
“I love when we play like we did today… but did we play like that a few weeks ago against Nottingham Forest? No. Hopefully, we can change, learn, and prepare for next season.”
City will have a chance to take another step forward when they face Nottingham Forest again in the FA Cup semifinals at Wembley next month.
