Josko Gvardiol's Stoppage-Time Goal Leads Manchester City To Beat Bournemouth In PL Opener

 Manchester City go off to a perfect start under their manager, Enzo Maresca, with a 2-1 comeback victory against Bournemouth in the opening game of the Premier League. 

Maresca replaced former head coach Pep Guardiola and was making his debut with the club after his spell at Chelsea. The team had to dig deep to undo Bournemouth's early lead from the first half. They had just lost the Community Shield to Arsenal in a match that was Maresca's first. 

Bournemouth's opener was a classic takedown of Manchester City. Adam Smith's lob landed right for Rayan. The winger shouldered off a challenge and slipped a pass to Evalison, who darted into the far right of the box and squared a cross over to Marcus Tavernier, side-footing the ball into the net.  

The comeback came in the second half with a stoppage-time stunner from Josko Gvardiol after multiple misses. Marc Guehi leapt for a glancing header following a corner and leveled the terms. The winning goal came through a buildup from the edge of the box, when Ryan Cherki's through pass set Gvardiol up inside the penalty area. He sholdered off a challenge and guided a shot into the right corner. 

Maresca served as an assistant manager under Guardiola in 2022-23, during which they won a treble. He returned to the Etihad to kick off his debut as the manager with a victory. 

Overview 

Bournemouth played cleverly amidst pressure from Manchester City on their home turf. Erling Haaland had a terrible day, despite having great chances. The hosts worked hard in the second half, and Maresca's decision to bolster his attack after Anderson's injury paid off. 

Manchester City loosened Bournemouth's grip on the defense, sustaining the pressure until Guehi pounced on a set piece. The Cherries' decision to come out further opened them up for City to take advantage, leading to their defeat. 

Missed Chances

In the first half, Haaland missed a glaring chance in front of the goal. He could not get a touch of Nico O'Reilly's cutback inside the six-yard box. On a second occasion, in the second half, he forced a save from Dorde Petrovic when Guehi picked him up with a cutback. 

Another similar situation was Jeremy Doku's. The winger was in a vantage position on the edge of the six-yard box but missed getting a touch on Nunez's cutback.