Manchester City began the post-Pep Guardiola era with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Bournemouth on Sunday, as late goals from Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol secured a winning Premier League debut for new manager Enzo Maresca.
Bournemouth took the lead at the Etihad Stadium through Marcus Tavernier in the first half and looked set to spoil Maresca’s first league match in charge.
City, however, produced a spirited late comeback. Guehi headed in the equaliser with six minutes of normal time remaining before Gvardiol struck in stoppage time to complete the turnaround.
Guardiola ended his decade-long reign at City after winning 20 major trophies, including six Premier League titles. His tenure also began with a narrow home victory over Sunderland in 2016, and Maresca will hope Sunday’s hard-fought win marks the beginning of another successful era at the club.
Maresca has said he believes he can match Guardiola’s remarkable trophy haul if he is given sufficient time to oversee what he described as “big changes” at the club.
City entered the new campaign under pressure following their disappointing 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in last weekend’s Community Shield, which raised concerns over whether they can challenge the reigning Premier League champions.
Those concerns appeared justified for long periods against Bournemouth, with City struggling to create clear-cut chances and looking vulnerable defensively.
However, Maresca’s side showed resilience in the closing stages to secure three points and give their new manager some much-needed relief.
The victory comes amid significant changes to City’s squad. Rodri, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders have all departed, while Savinho is reportedly set to join Tottenham.
England midfielder Elliot Anderson, Maresca’s only major signing so far, endured an underwhelming outing before being forced off with an injury in the second half.
City are reportedly closing in on a deal for teenage Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for a fee of £86 million ($117 million).
However, Maresca is likely to need further reinforcements if City are to strengthen their squad and close the gap on Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
