Bournemouth Stay Unbeaten Eight Games After Semenyo Exit, Says Iraola

Add as a preferred source on Google

Bournemouth extend an impressive Premier League unbeaten run to eight matches after a 1-1 draw with Sunderland, despite Antoine Semenyo’s January exit to Manchester City. Evanilson levels on 63 minutes after Eliezer Mayenda’s opener at Vitality Stadium. Andoni Iraola’s team miss the chance to reach 40 points but stay firmly involved in the race for European qualification.

The result drops Bournemouth to ninth place after Everton defeat Newcastle United later in the day, yet the club remain within reach of European spots. Bournemouth also continue a strong record when trailing, having collected 15 points from losing positions. Only Aston Villa with 19 and Sunderland with 16 gain more such points in the Premier League this season.

Bournemouth need to work hard for this point, recording 21 attempts and an expected goals figure of 1.5, compared with Sunderland’s 1.42 from only eight efforts. The visitors waste major openings at 1-0, especially when Habib Diarra goes through one-on-one with Djordje Petrovic but cannot finish. Those missed chances prove costly once Evanilson strikes in the second half.

The Cherries now go eight Premier League games without defeat, with four wins and four draws in that spell. Bournemouth have previously managed a longer top-flight unbeaten run only once, going 11 matches without losing between November 2024 and January 2025. The club’s official account highlights the sequence after full-time.

Iraola must guide Bournemouth through the run-in without Semenyo, who joins Manchester City in January for a reported £64m fee. Before that transfer, Semenyo posts 13 Premier League goal involvements, matching Bruno Fernandes. Only Igor Thiago on 17 and Erling Haaland on 24 register more. Bournemouth’s ability to retain momentum without that contribution pleases Iraola.

{TABLE_1}

Iraola reflects on Bournemouth’s position and the extended unbeaten sequence, while also noting the number of stalemates during this stretch. 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. 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. In three days we play Brentford.

Bournemouth Premier League performance and Iraola reaction

The head coach also focuses on the team’s slow opening to the match, which leaves Bournemouth chasing the game after Mayenda strikes first. 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 use the contest to halt a poor spell in the Premier League, having lost three consecutive matches before arriving on the south coast. The Black Cats still cannot end an away drought, though. Sunderland have not won on the road in the competition since beating Chelsea 2-1 in October, a sequence that now stretches to nine away league matches.

Sunderland Premier League away form and Le Bris response

This nine-game away run is Sunderland’s longest winless streak on their travels within a single Premier League season since April 2010, when they go 16 without success. Regis Le Bris arrives with an injury-hit squad but sees a strong response from the group. The head coach praises both the mindset and the adaptability of those drafted into the side.

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. We probably had the opportunity to win this game, especially at the beginning of the second half to make it 2-0. We didn't score, but it's a good point in the end. We had different options on the bench. We had a few injuries from Fulham as well, so it was important to make a few changes and the lads are still connected with the team. We are a small group, so they know with injuries and suspensions and so on something will come. When it comes, you have to get ready and that's what they did today.

Both sides therefore leave with reasons for optimism, despite missed opportunities. Bournemouth maintain an eight-game Premier League unbeaten run and remain in European contention, even after Semenyo’s departure. Sunderland stop a sequence of three straight defeats and show improved belief, though the ongoing away drought continues to shape their season.