English Premier League ; Manchester City 2-1 Bournemouth
Manchester City launched their Premier League campaign with a thrilling late comeback, overcoming Bournemouth 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in Enzo Maresca’s first league outing as manager.
The visitors stunned the home crowd midway through the first half when Marcus Tavernier finished a well-worked move to put the Cherries ahead. For long stretches it looked as though new Bournemouth boss Marco Rose might claim a famous result on his competitive debut, as City struggled to convert their territorial dominance into clear chances despite Erling Haaland and others going close.
The hosts controlled possession and created the better opportunities after the break, yet Bournemouth defended resolutely and threatened on the counter. Maresca’s side needed a spark, and it arrived when substitute Rayan Cherki entered the fray. His introduction transformed the attacking rhythm, injecting creativity and urgency into City’s play at a critical stage when time was running short and the points seemed destined for the south-coast club.
With six minutes of normal time remaining, Cherki swung in a corner that Marc Guéhi met firmly with a powerful header to level the score. The equaliser ignited the stadium and shifted the momentum decisively. City poured forward in search of a winner, sensing that the visitors were beginning to tire after an impressive defensive display that had frustrated the home attack for most of the afternoon.
Deep into stoppage time the decisive moment arrived. Cherki slipped a precise pass into the path of Josko Gvardiol, who controlled the ball calmly and slotted it past the goalkeeper. An initial offside flag was raised, but a VAR review confirmed the Croatian was onside, sparking wild celebrations among the City players and staff. The goal secured a dramatic 2-1 victory and handed Maresca a hard-earned winning start in the league.
The result provided an early boost for the new era at Manchester City while denying Bournemouth what would have been a landmark victory. Both managers now turn their attention to the next fixtures, with City looking to build on this resilient display and the Cherries aiming to recover quickly from a cruel late defeat.
