Manchester City snatched a dramatic 2-1 win against Bournemouth on Saturday, with Marc Guéhi's 84th-minute equaliser and Josko Gvardiol's added-time winner overturning Marcus Tavernier's first-half opener. The victory marked a memorable return for new manager Enzo Maresca, who had seen his side trailing until the late surge.
Late Goals Turn the Tide
Bournemouth, unbeaten in 18 league games under former manager Andoni Iraola, now at Liverpool, looked set to secure a first away victory at City. Marco Rose's side led through Tavernier's first-half strike, but two defensive lapses in the closing minutes changed the outcome.
First, Rayan Cherki floated in a corner from the right, and Guéhi rose to head past Djordje Petrovic, the Cherries goalkeeper left stranded by a deflection off Adrien Truffert. Maresca, a former assistant to Pep Guardiola, sighed hard before celebrating when the winner was converted.
Cherki, a second-half substitute, then tapped to Gvardiol, who scored. The video assistant referee ruled the goal legal after an initial offside flag.
Maresca's Tactical Experiment
Maresca surprised observers by deploying Guéhi as a holding midfielder alongside Elliot Anderson on the £116m signing's debut. "It was just an idea the manager had, we worked on it during the week. We're trying different things, solutions. I'm glad today it paid off in the end," Guéhi said.
Nico O'Reilly, City's player of the year at left-back, was preferred at No 10 to Phil Foden, who lined up on the right. The experiment appeared to misfire, with O'Reilly replaced by Cherki on 63 minutes. Jack Grealish entered for Foden on 82 minutes, with the latter as impotent as Erling Haaland, who failed to score on his 200th City appearance.
Bournemouth's Dominance and City's Response
Bournemouth were the better side in the first half. Tavernier spurned two chances to increase the lead, and Evanilson was booked for rough play. City's Anderson, the new No 6 following Rodri's departure to Barcelona, was charged with controlling the game but was caught out in the build-up to the opener.
From the visitors' right-back corridor, the ball was flipped upfield. Rúben Dias and Abdukodir Khusanov had a mix-up. Rayan turned the ball to Evanilson, whose cross from the right caught Rico Lewis out of position, and Tavernier poked home.
Maresca made no changes at half-time, but the introduction of Matheus Nunes for Lewis on 57 minutes and later Cherki shifted momentum. Anderson was forced off with a knee problem on 63 minutes, replaced by Mateo Kovacic, though he ambled off unaided.
Impact and Next Steps
The win masks a disjointed first Premier League outing for Maresca's side, who conceded a fourth unanswered strike in his two most important games after last weekend's 3-0 Community Shield defeat by Arsenal. City will need to address defensive lapses and attacking cohesion as the season progresses, with Bournemouth left to rue missed opportunities in a match that showcased both teams' potential.
