Man City leave it late against Bournemouth

 Manchester City 2 - 1 Bournemouth

Manchester City scored twice in the closing stages to give Enzo Maresca victory in his first Premier League game in charge

Author | Macca

Stadium | Etihad Stadium

View from the stands

The Cherries took the lead in the first half through Marcus Tavernier, who was given plenty of space to fire home after Evanilson's incisive low cross into the area.

Erling Haaland, normally so prolific in August, missed several chances as City appeared destined for a frustrating afternoon.

But Marc Guehi, operating in defensive midfield for only the third time in his career, headed in Rayan Cherki's corner with six minutes remaining.

Bournemouth's misery was compounded in stoppage time when Josko Gvardiol guided a shot into the bottom corner to complete City's late turnaround.

Huge relief for Maresca's City

Pre match fireworks

City showed signs of improvement from the side beaten 3-0 by Arsenal in last Sunday's Community Shield, but for much of this game it looked as though Maresca would begin his reign with successive defeats.

City did not exactly promote from within when they appointed Maresca, who left his role as Chelsea manager at the start of 2026, but the Italian had been Guardiola's assistant at City in 2022-23 and could perhaps be viewed as a continuity candidate.

It was a nervy start, however, as City fell 1-0 behind. Maresca's team selection raised plenty of eyebrows, with six players who have spent most of their City careers in defence starting on Sunday, including Guehi in midfield.

But all's well that ends well. Guehi appeared to have rescued a point before fellow defender Gvardiol completed the turnaround, converting after another pass from Cherki.