Bournemouth's Resilience Shines Through Despite Key Departure

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has dismissed suggestions that his team is struggling following Antoine Semenyo's January departure to Manchester City, pointing to the Cherries' impressive eight-game unbeaten run in the Premier League as evidence of their collective strength.

Impressive Unbeaten Streak Continues

The Cherries extended their unbeaten run to eight Premier League matches (W4 D4) with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Sunderland at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday. Evanilson's 63rd-minute equalizer canceled out Eliezer Mayenda's opener for the visitors, ensuring Bournemouth maintained their momentum despite the absence of their former talisman.

"It's true, we are getting decent results. It's difficult to go eight games without a loss in the Premier League," Iraola told BBC Match of the Day. "We are probably drawing too much. We have been drawing a lot in the Premier League. Some of them are very good draws, others not so good."

Adapting to Life Without Semenyo

Semenyo's £64 million move to Manchester City last month represented a significant loss for Bournemouth. Prior to his departure, only Igor Thiago (17) and Erling Haaland (24) had registered more goal involvements than Semenyo (13, level with Bruno Fernandes) in the Premier League this season. However, Iraola praised his squad for adapting successfully to the Belgian's absence.

The draw saw Bournemouth slip to ninth in the table after Everton's victory over Newcastle United later in the day, but they remain firmly in contention for European qualification next season.

Statistical Resilience

Bournemouth's ability to bounce back from setbacks has been particularly impressive this season. Only Aston Villa (19) and Sunderland (16) have gained more points from losing positions than Bournemouth in the Premier League this season (15).

The current eight-game unbeaten run represents one of the club's best sequences in the competition, with only one longer streak previously recorded (11 games between November 2024 and January 2025).

Tough Battle Against Sunderland

Saturday's match proved to be a challenging encounter for Bournemouth, who registered an expected goals (xG) total of 1.5 from their 21 shots compared to Sunderland's 1.42 from just eight attempts. Sunderland had opportunities to extend their lead, most notably through Habib Diarra, who failed to finish when one-on-one with Djordje Petrovic.

"I think probably a draw is not the result we wanted, but we've paid for our slow start. It's taken us a lot of minutes to switch on," Iraola added. "In the second half, we were much better and closer to winning the game. But we've paid for this slow start. We conceded the first goal, and after that it became difficult."

Sunderland's Perspective

For Sunderland, the point represented a positive result after three consecutive Premier League defeats. Manager Regis Le Bris was pleased with his injury-hit team's performance against a Bournemouth side with a clear tactical identity.

"It's a tough place. They have a clear identity, they are intense and always on the front foot. It was really positive for us to challenge this position," Le Bris said. "After three defeats in a row, it's not a question of tactics or technique, it's mindset, to be honest. Today we showed it."

Despite ending their losing streak, Sunderland's travel woes continue in the Premier League, having failed to win away from home since their 2-1 victory over Chelsea in October - a run of nine games without victory on the road.

Looking Ahead

Bournemouth now turn their attention to their upcoming match against Brentford in three days, with Iraola emphasizing the need to maintain their positive momentum. "Thirty-nine points, we lost today a chance to get those magical 40 points that everyone marks as the first thing. But we have to keep going," the manager concluded.