Manchester City made a winning start to life without Pep Guardiola as late goals from Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol snatched a dramatic 2-1 victory against Bournemouth on Sunday in Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League game as the Spaniard’s replacement.
Marcus Tavernier’s first half goal put Bournemouth ahead at the Etihad Stadium before City staged a pulsating fightback in the final minutes.
Marc Guehi headed City’s equaliser with six minutes left before Gvardiol stroked in the stoppage-time winner.
Guardiola won 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles, during a glorious decade with City.
His reign started with a late win at home to Sunderland in 2016 and Maresca will hope his own narrow victory serves as the prelude to an equally successful spell.
Maresca insists he can replicate Guardiola’s trophy haul if he is given time to handle the “big changes” at the club.
City’s lacklustre 3-0 defeat against Arsenal in last weekend’s Community Shield raised questions about their ability to keep pace with the Premier League champions this season.
For much of their top-flight opener, City were again short of inspiration in attack and cohesion at the back.
But they found a way to dig out a result that allowed Maresca to breath a sigh of relief.
It is a time of major upheaval at City, with Rodri, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders all leaving and Savinho set to join Tottenham.
England midfielder Elliot Anderson has been Maresca’s only major signing and he was unimpressive before hobbling off in the second half.
City are set to sign teenage Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in a deal worth £86 million ($117 million), according to reports on Sunday.
But more new recruits will be needed if City are to close the gap on Arsenal.
– Critical decision –
Maresca wasted little time emulating one aspect of Guardiola’s reign as he unveiled a curious starting line-up.
The Italian picked six players who could be classed as defenders, with England centre-back Guehi deployed in midfield and Nico O’Reilly moved from his usual role on the left to a position closer to Erling Haaland in attack.
Haaland shed his long blond hair on the eve of the new season, describing his close-cropped look as “new season, new trim”.
The City striker, who starred for Norway at the World Cup, might have looked sharp, but his finishing was rusty when he somehow prodded wide from close-range after O’Reilly’s cross presented him with a golden opportunity.
City were punished by an incisive counter from Bournemouth in the 26th minute.
Evanilson’s perfectly weighted cross fizzed across the penalty area as City defenders Ruben Dias and Abdukodir Khusanov stood statuesque, allowing Tavernier time and space to stroke a composed finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma from six yards.
City forwards Phil Foden and Antoine Semenyo struggled to link up effectively with Haaland, whose glancing header was clawed away by Djordje Petrovic.
Guehi should have equalised immediately after the interval from Foden’s corner, but he surpassed Haaland’s woeful first half miss with an even worse header from virtually on the line.
Moans from supporters underwhelmed by Maresca’s style of play were a constant soundtrack to his time at Chelsea.
It must have alarmed City’s hierarchy to hear similar complaints from the stands before Maresca had even completed 90 minutes in charge.
But Maresca made the critical decision to send on French playmaker Rayan Cherki and the move changed the course of the match.
It was Cherki’s corner that arrowed towards Guehi in the 84th minute, presenting the defender with a chance that he headed past Petrovic in clinical fashion.
And in stoppage-time, Cherki slipped a deft pass through the heart of the Bournemouth defence for Gvardiol to slot home as Maresca punched the air in delight.
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