Enzo Maresca began his reign as Manchester City
manager with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Bournemouth in their opening
Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium.
City looked set for a disappointing start after Marcus
Tavernier fired Bournemouth into a first-half lead. However, late goals from
Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol completed a thrilling turnaround and handed
Maresca his first competitive win in charge.
The Italian manager succeeds Pep Guardiola, whose
remarkable 10-year spell at City delivered 20 major trophies, including six
Premier League titles. Like Guardiola, who won his first league game with a
late victory over Sunderland in 2016, Maresca also enjoyed a last-gasp winning
start.
Despite the victory, City endured another difficult
performance following their 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal last
weekend. For much of the match, they lacked creativity going forward and looked
vulnerable defensively before producing a late resurgence.
Bournemouth stunned the home crowd in the 26th minute
when Evanilson delivered a precise cross across the penalty area, leaving
Tavernier free to finish from close range after City’s defence failed to react.
Erling Haaland had opportunities to level the score
but endured a frustrating afternoon in front of goal. The Norwegian striker
missed a clear chance from Nico O’Reilly’s cross and later saw a header
brilliantly saved by Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
Maresca’s tactical setup also attracted attention,
with the Italian naming six players capable of playing in defence. New signing
Marc Guehi was deployed in midfield, while Nico O’Reilly operated in a more
advanced attacking role alongside Haaland.
The breakthrough came in the closing stages after
Maresca introduced French playmaker Rayan Cherki from the bench. Cherki
immediately injected pace and creativity into City’s attack.
His corner in the 84th minute found Guehi, who made no
mistake this time, powering a header into the net after previously missing a
golden chance earlier in the second half.
City completed the comeback deep into stoppage time
when Cherki threaded a perfectly weighted pass through Bournemouth’s defence
for Gvardiol to calmly slot home the winning goal.
The victory gives Maresca a positive start, but it
also highlighted the work still needed as Manchester City undergo significant
changes following the departures of several key players, including Rodri,
Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders.
City have already signed England midfielder Elliot
Anderson and are reportedly close to completing a deal for teenage Moroccan
midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille. More additions are expected as the club
looks to close the gap on reigning champions Arsenal.
While the performance left plenty of room for
improvement, Maresca’s first match in charge ended with the result every new
manager wants — three points and a memorable comeback victory.
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