Manchester City stage late comeback to beat Bournemouth 2-1 in Maresca’s debut

Manchester City stage late comeback to beat Bournemouth 2-1 in Maresca’s debut

Guehi and Gvardiol rescue Italian manager as VAR drama hands City dramatic comeback victory over resilient Cherries

Manchester City produced a dramatic late fightback to snatch a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, handing Enzo Maresca a winning start to his Premier League tenure in the most thrilling fashion imaginable. A huge banner reading “Welcome back Enzo” was held aloft by City fans as the Italian — who served as Guardiola’s assistant during City’s treble-winning 2022-23 season — emerged from the tunnel before kickoff. Wearing a sharp black suit, Maresca certainly looked the part on the touchline, but the slickness synonymous with City’s play under Guardiola was not quite there until the late comeback.

The visitors stunned the home crowd in the 26th minute when Marcus Tavernier finished off a swift counter-attack. The move began with Adam Smith’s long pass before Rayan worked the ball to Evanilson, who delivered a well-weighted pass across the area. Tavernier arrived at the back post and finished from close range to give Bournemouth a deserved lead. City had started brightly and created an early opportunity in the 13th minute when Nico O’Reilly delivered a dangerous cross toward Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker, sporting a new close-cropped haircut, found space inside the area but failed to make proper contact. It was a miss that would set the tone for a frustrating afternoon. Bournemouth nearly doubled their advantage two minutes before the break when Rayan found Justin Kluivert unmarked inside the area, but Gianluigi Donnarumma saved the Dutchman’s low effort.

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Erling Haaland, who has scored 22 goals in 14 Premier League games in the month of August during his career, failed to take any of his five chances on the day. The Norwegian, who shed his long blond hair on the eve of the new season describing his close-cropped look as “new season, new trim,” might have looked sharp, but his finishing was rusty. Haaland passed up two opportunities in the second half, shooting over in the 72nd minute before failing to make clean contact with Guehi’s cross three minutes later. Guehi had earlier set up Haaland in a great position in the 75th minute, but the striker was unmarked five yards out from goal and failed to convert.

Marc Guehi, playing in defensive midfield for only the third time in his career in a curious tactical move by Maresca, missed a clear chance to level the score in the 51st minute. He headed wide from close range after meeting Elliot Anderson’s corner while unmarked. Somehow, Guehi fluffed his lines from two yards out with the goal at his mercy and Petrovic in the Bournemouth goal in no man’s land. It surpassed Haaland’s woeful first-half miss with an even worse header from virtually on the line.

Maresca made the critical decision to send on French playmaker Rayan Cherki, and the move changed the course of the match. Cherki floated in a superb corner from the right with his left foot, which found Guehi unmarked five yards out from goal in the 84th minute. Guehi powered his header past Petrovic to make it 1-1. It was redemption for Guehi, who had earlier headed wide from close range, and he put aside that miss to spark the turnaround.

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Then came the decisive moment. Cherki played in Josko Gvardiol inside the penalty area, and the Croatian defender guided a cool finish into the bottom corner in the first minute of stoppage time. The goal was initially flagged for offside, prompting wild celebrations on the Bournemouth bench. But following a lengthy video assistant referee review, the goal was awarded, prompting huge celebrations on the City touchline. Maresca punched the air when Gvardiol’s goal was awarded and went onto the field after the final whistle to hug his players.

“It is the perfect day, to be honest,” Maresca said. “I was very pleased when the game started to see the banner on the other side. And I was pleased because we give them the joy of the three points. It was quite emotional and the perfect day.” The victory handed Maresca his first three points as City manager in his first Premier League match in charge, but he acknowledged his side remains a “work in progress.” City had shown improvement from the side that was beaten 3-0 by Arsenal in last Sunday’s Community Shield, but for most of the game, it looked as if Maresca was going to start with consecutive defeats.

For Bournemouth, managed by Marco Rose in his Premier League debut, the defeat ended a remarkable 18-match unbeaten run across all competitions dating back to January. It was Bournemouth’s first defeat in any competition since January, ending their club-record unbeaten run. Despite the late heartbreak, the Cherries produced an impressive performance that will offer encouragement for the season ahead. The result was particularly painful for Bournemouth, who had enjoyed the best season in their history last campaign, finishing sixth and securing European football for the first time.

Maresca began his time as Guardiola’s replacement with a 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield last weekend and has had to deal with the departure of star midfielder Rodri to Barcelona. But Maresca opted against Bournemouth to deploy Guehi — a center-back — as a holding midfielder instead. It was a contentious decision given there were other midfield options on the bench, and it might prove to be a one-off, but Guehi grew into the role. Replacing a legend is always difficult, as David Moyes experienced when Sir Alex Ferguson left neighbours Manchester United in 2013, and the late comeback will come as a major relief in City’s first Premier League game without Pep Guardiola in a decade.