Man City edge Bournemouth in Maresca’s winning Premier League debut
Manchester City made a winning start to the 2026/27 Premier League season as late goals from Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Bournemouth on Sunday in Enzo Maresca’s first league game in charge.
Marcus Tavernier gave Bournemouth the lead in the first half at the Etihad Stadium before City produced a late fightback to snatch all three points.
Guehi levelled with six minutes remaining before Gvardiol struck in stoppage time to complete the comeback and hand Maresca a crucial victory.
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The result offered some relief to Maresca after City suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in last weekend’s Community Shield.
Maresca begins post-Guardiola era with win
Maresca replaced Pep Guardiola after the Spaniard’s trophy-laden decade at City, during which he won 20 major honours, including six Premier League titles.
Guardiola’s reign began with a late victory over Sunderland in 2016, and Maresca will hope Sunday’s dramatic comeback can mark the beginning of another successful era at the Etihad.
The Italian has insisted he can match Guardiola’s achievements if given time to oversee what he described as significant changes at the club.
City, however, struggled for much of the match against Bournemouth, lacking fluency in attack and defensive cohesion before their late recovery.
Major changes at City
The victory comes during a period of significant upheaval at the club, with Rodri, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Aké and Tijjani Reijnders among those who have left.
Savinho is also set to join Tottenham, further reducing the options available to Maresca.
England midfielder Elliot Anderson, one of City’s major summer additions, endured an underwhelming debut before being forced off with an injury in the second half.
City are also reportedly closing in on Moroccan teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in a deal worth around ÂŁ86 million.
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