All good things will have to come to an end.
Manchester Town’s 32-match unbeaten run in the Premier League ends soon. A lackluster performance resulted in a 2-1 defeat to in-form Bournemouth.
That fantastic run was a club record without tasting defeat.
Saturday’s defeat also saw Town drop to second place in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Liverpool.
“They [Bournemouth] Today we had a different rhythm and we couldn’t hold on,” Guardiola said.
“We knew we couldn’t match the intensity. We’ve talked about it. It was an open game.
“We had chances at the end, but congratulations to Bournemouth for the victory.”
Guardiola has overseen 488 matches since being appointed City manager in 2016, winning 360, drawing 60 and losing 68.
Before Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth, City’s last defeat came at Aston Villa on December 6, 2023.
During that streak they achieved 26 wins and six draws, scoring an impressive 80 goals and conceding only 26.
They amassed 84 points and finished 2023-24 with the Premier League title, winning the top flight for the fourth consecutive season.
Arsenal, who finished second last season, were the next best performing team during City’s unbeaten run.
However, the Gunners lost five times during that period, scoring five fewer goals and amassing just 71 points.
Liverpool was the third team with the best performance, adding one point less than Arsenal, as they won 21, drew seven and lost four.
“We want to book it, but how many games and months we’ve done it… it’s admirable,” Guardiola told Sky Sports when asked about going almost a year without losing.
As impressive as City’s form has been over the past 11 months, they remain a long way off the all-time Premier League record.
In fact, City are fourth in terms of longest unbeaten streaks since the Premier League’s inception in 1992-93.
Arsenal top the table after enjoying a 49-match unbeaten run between May 2003 and October 2004, spanning three seasons.
The Gunners went through the 2003-04 campaign unbeaten, becoming the only club to achieve that feat and earning the nickname “The Invincibles.”
Liverpool are second on that record with a 44-game unbeaten run between January 2019 and February 2020, an age in which Chelsea have avoided defeat for 40 games from October 2004 to October 2005.
