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Coming soon to Manchester City: a new threat from long throw-ins? It may not be why they are on the verge of splashing £65million on Antoine Semenyo but if nothing else, it is a nice extra to have.
No Premier League club have produced fewer long throws into the opposition’s area than City this season. Under Pep Guardiola, they have launched only four into the box in all of 2025-26.
Semenyo’s arrival may not change that approach, but Guardiola will have the choice to use his weaponry if he wishes, just as Bournemouth did here to frighten Chelsea amid a chaotic first half.
All parties are close to an agreement over Semenyo’s £65m switch, with the 25-year-old wanting City over Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, and even Chelsea who entered the race ever so briefly last week. While his wizardry on the wing was not a highlight here, his throws were.
Twice he launched the ball into the box, and twice Bournemouth scored via a flick-on and a finish, the first being scored by David Brooks and the second by Justin Kluivert.
When Semenyo had his third opportunity to throw another one towards the area, Chelsea’s set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva was suddenly front and centre in the technical area trying to position his players, shouting frantically. They were frightened with the two they conceded here meaning they are now, statistically, the worst team at defending long throws in the Premier League. They conceded from similar situations versus Brentford and Sunderland previously.
Antoine Semenyo’s long throws will be a dangerous weapon for Man City if they sign him
This was an awful night for Chelsea. They should have beaten a side that were winless in their last nine. Instead, Enzo Maresca’s side themselves have now won only once in their last seven, picking up six out of a possible 18 points in December, and that is not the form of a Champions League club.
Enzo Maresca’s unpopular decision and the star who outshone Cole Palmer
When Cole Palmer’s number went up after 63 minutes, the supporters inside Stamford Bridge did not take kindly to Maresca’s decision to replace him with Joao Pedro.
Sometimes boos can be exaggerated, but these were loud. A section also sang towards Maresca: ‘You don’t know what you’re doing.’ They felt Palmer was their best bet of winning this match.
It can often feel as if the Chelsea fanbase is split in two over Maresca. One half believes he can do no wrong because he is hamstrung by the players he has been provided by the hierarchy. The other half thinks he should be doing much more with what he has regardless.
One summer arrival who was impressive, at least, was Estevao Willian. The 18-year-old Brazilian was Maresca’s biggest threat overall, his dribbling simply a sight to behold.
He won Chelsea’s penalty following a foul from Semenyo so that Palmer could equalise after David Brooks’ opener for Bournemouth. With Enzo Fernandez then scoring for the Blues and Justin Kluivert levelling it up for the Cherries, Estevao Willian continued in search of that big moment, but he ended up having to be substituted after picking up a problem in stoppage time.
Enzo Maresca’s decision to sub off Cole Palmer was unpopular – but Estevao Willian was Chelsea’s biggest threat
The Brazilian’s dribbling was quite simply a sight to behold but he came off with a niggle
Bournemouth’s desperate tactics
Bournemouth captain Brooks won the coin toss before kick-off and opted to have the sides swap ends. For what reason? You assumed to unsettle Chelsea. It left Enzo Maresca’s side shooting towards the Matthew Harding Stand in the first half, and the Shed End in the second half, when they would usually prefer it the other way around.
Bournemouth had not won away in the Premier League since August, so it is worth trying anything when desperate. These two teams met only a few weeks back in a bore draw of a 0-0 at the Vitality. The chaos of this contest made up for that match and then some.
Moises Caicedo’s ill discipline
Moises Caicedo knew he had to avoid a yellow card here, otherwise it would be his fifth of the season before the Premier League’s caution threshold resets with the New Year and he would be suspended for this Sunday’s trip to Manchester City.
Within four minutes, however, Adrien Truffaut was leading a counter-attack for Bournemouth when Caicedo came charging across. He claimed he did not touch Truffaut, but from our referee Sam Barrott’s perspective, he had purposefully prevented a promising situation from unfolding.
Moises Caicedo bagged himself another yellow card within four minutes of kick-off and now he will miss the Manchester City trip
Out came the yellow card, and now, Chelsea will have no Caicedo for City, which is as big of a blow as any side could suffer when heading to the Etihad Stadium.
Remarkably, this was Caicedo’s third suspension picked up in a month. He received a red card versus Arsenal in the Premier League for a poor challenge, then a yellow against Cardiff in the Carabao Cup for sarcastically applauding a referee to earn a ban in that competition, and now this.
Caicedo is a master of pinching possession, and he is understood to be keen on signing a new contract, but Chelsea would rather not have to go without him so often.
