Manchester City launched their Premier League campaign with a stirring comeback victory, overturning a first-half deficit to beat Bournemouth thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Joško Gvardiol.
Marcus Tavernier fired the visitors ahead midway through the opening half, silencing the home crowd. But City refused to buckle. Marc Guéhi levelled late on before Gvardiol snatched a dramatic winner deep into added time, sparking wild celebrations at the final whistle.
Speaking afterward, head coach Enzo Maresca made no attempt to mask his delight.
“It’s the perfect day to be honest,” he said. “I was very pleased when the game started and to see the banner on the other side. I was glad when it was over also, to give them the joy of the three points. It was quite emotional and the perfect day.”
Maresca insisted his side deserved the win, pointing to the volume of chances City created throughout the match.
Read also on New Daily Prime:
Manchester City v Bournemouth: Maresca begins post-Guardiola era
Maresca appointed Manchester City manager on three-year deal
“The spirit was fantastic,” he began. “It’s a game that we deserved to win. A game probably you don’t need to win to last eight minutes for the amount of chances we had. Before they scored they had two or three chances. We miss and when they score and you miss it becomes more complicated. In the second half they didn’t have a shot on goal until the 80th minute so I think we deserved it.”
Despite the euphoria, Maresca struck a measured tone about the bigger picture, stressing that one result, however thrilling, doesn’t change his broader assessment of the squad following last week’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal.
“I feel in the same position as after Arsenal,” he said. “I know that most of the time it’s normal you judge because of the results, but I don’t see a big difference from one week ago to today. Unfortunately this is a work in progress, that’s why I’m looking for new solutions like Guéhi as a midfielder, different.
We need a solution, we need to prepare the team for one season. When you win games you need help from the environment, from the fans for the team, from everyone. We are more happy today than a week ago.”
The manager also turned his attention to the long-term challenge of replacing Rodri, drawing parallels with previous eras at the club.
“We need to find a new Rodri,” he said. “When Rodri arrived, he hadn’t won the Ballon d’Or, nor the Champions League, nor the Club World Cup. Then he joined us and achieved extraordinary things. Today, our goal is simple: find the next Rodri. I was thinking about that last night. When David Silva left, everyone was worried… then Kevin De Bruyne arrived.
When Sergio Agüero left, everyone was worried… then Erling Haaland arrived. Fernandinho left, Rodri took over. That’s football. When a legend leaves, you have to be able to recruit the one who will take up the mantle. It’s a normal change, not a problem. You just have to move forward and keep making the right decisions.”
