Manchester City began the post-Pep Guardiola era with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Bournemouth on Sunday, but their first Premier League outing under Enzo Maresca offered plenty of reasons for concern before a late surge rescued the result.
Trailing for most of the afternoon after Marcus Tavernier gave Bournemouth the lead, City appeared set for an uncomfortable start to the new campaign.
Instead, two late moments changed everything. Marc Guehi headed home an equaliser with six minutes remaining before Josko Gvardiol struck in stoppage time to complete a remarkable turnaround at the Etihad Stadium.
Maresca gets the result he desperately needed
The victory provides Maresca with an immediate boost as he attempts to succeed Guardiola, whose extraordinary decade in Manchester produced 20 major trophies, including six Premier League championships.
Guardiola’s City reign also began with a narrow late victory, against Sunderland in 2016.
Maresca will now hope Sunday’s comeback becomes the first chapter of another successful era.
The former Chelsea manager has already insisted he can eventually match Guardiola’s achievements if he is given enough time to oversee the significant changes taking place at the club.
Bournemouth expose City’s early problems
For much of the contest, however, City looked far from a side ready to challenge for another league title.
Their attacking play lacked fluency, while defensive lapses repeatedly threatened to cost them.
The concerns were familiar after last weekend’s 3-0 Community Shield defeat against Arsenal, which had raised questions about whether City could keep pace with the reigning champions.
Bournemouth took advantage of City’s uncertainty in the 26th minute.
Evanilson delivered an inviting ball across the penalty area, and both Ruben Dias and Abdukodir Khusanov failed to react quickly enough.
Tavernier was left with the time and space to calmly finish from close range beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Haaland struggles to make his mark
Erling Haaland entered the new campaign sporting a dramatically shorter haircut after recently representing Norway at the World Cup.
The striker may have looked refreshed, but his finishing was anything but sharp.
One of City’s best opportunities arrived when Nico O’Reilly’s cross found Haaland close to goal, only for him to somehow prod the ball wide.
Haaland later managed to direct a header towards goal, but Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic reacted superbly to keep City at bay.
Maresca’s unusual formation raises eyebrows
Maresca made an intriguing selection decision for his first competitive Premier League match, fielding a starting XI containing six players who could broadly be considered defenders.
Guehi was pushed into midfield, while O’Reilly was moved from his more familiar position on the left into a role closer to Haaland.
The approach failed to produce the attacking rhythm City supporters expected, and frustration from the stands became increasingly noticeable.
That will be a particularly significant warning for Maresca given that similar complaints about his style of play became common during his spell at Chelsea.
Guehi makes amends for costly miss
City could have levelled immediately after the interval, but Guehi somehow missed from almost on the goal line following Foden’s corner.
The chance was arguably even easier than Haaland’s earlier miss, increasing the sense that this was not going to be City’s afternoon.
Bournemouth continued to defend stubbornly, while City’s forwards struggled to establish an effective connection with Haaland.
Cherki changes the contest
With City desperately searching for a way back into the match, Maresca turned to Rayan Cherki.
The French playmaker’s introduction proved decisive.
Cherki immediately provided greater creativity and helped transform City’s attacking momentum during the closing stages.
In the 84th minute, his corner found Guehi, who made amends for his earlier miss by heading confidently past Petrovic to restore parity.
The equaliser suddenly shifted the atmosphere inside the Etihad.
Gvardiol completes stunning turnaround
City were not finished.
As Bournemouth attempted to hold on for a point, Cherki produced another moment of quality in stoppage time, threading a clever pass through the heart of the visitors’ defence.
Gvardiol reacted quickly, taking the opportunity to slot the ball beyond Petrovic and send Maresca punching the air in celebration.
What had threatened to become a frustrating defeat had suddenly become a statement-making comeback.
Major changes leave City facing a rebuilding job
The victory cannot disguise the scale of the challenge facing Maresca.
City have undergone significant changes during the summer, with Rodri, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders all departing.
Savinho is also expected to join Tottenham, while England midfielder Elliot Anderson is currently Maresca’s only major addition.
Anderson endured a difficult outing against Bournemouth before being forced off with an injury.
Reports on Sunday also claimed City were close to signing teenage Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in a deal worth £86 million.
Even with that move, further recruitment is likely to be required if City are to close the gap on Arsenal.
The road ahead remains demanding
Maresca can celebrate the perfect result, but the performance will leave plenty for his coaching staff to analyse.
City’s defensive organisation, attacking cohesion and overall style will all face greater examination as the season progresses.
For now, however, the new manager has avoided the nightmare start that appeared increasingly likely.
What happens next?
City will need to build on Sunday’s comeback while addressing the weaknesses exposed by Bournemouth.
Maresca has inherited a team in transition, and the pressure will increase quickly if performances fail to improve despite the positive result.
The late goals from Guehi and Gvardiol have bought the Italian valuable breathing space, but the long-term challenge is clear: City must rediscover the consistency and attacking authority that defined Guardiola’s reign.
Summary
Manchester City overcame Bournemouth 2-1 in Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League match as Guardiola’s successor.
Marcus Tavernier gave Bournemouth the lead before Marc Guehi equalised late and Josko Gvardiol completed the comeback in stoppage time.
The victory gives Maresca an important early result, but City’s lack of attacking cohesion, defensive uncertainty and extensive squad changes suggest the new era will involve a significant rebuilding process.
