​Manchester City 2-1 Bournemouth: Substitute Cherki sparks late turnaround to get Maresca's first win

Rayan Cherki came off the bench to assist two late goals as Manchester City opened their first Premier League campaign under Enzo Maresca with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Bournemouth.

Marcus Tavernier's first-half strike gave the Cherries – who were playing their first competitive match under Marco Rose – a lead they held until the 84th minute.

However, a largely drab attacking performance from City was given a new dimension when Cherki stepped off the bench, and his corner led to Marc Guehi heading in the equaliser. 

Cherki then provided the pass for Josko Gvardiol's stoppage-time winner, which was awarded following a VAR review for a possible offside in the build-up, as Maresca breathed a sigh of relief and Bournemouth suffered their first Premier League defeat since January.

Maresca's men created the first pair of chances as Djordje Petrovic stood tall to thwart Rico Lewis at his near post and Erling Haaland miscued after an excellent burst down the left from Nico O'Reilly, but it was Bournemouth who struck first in the 26th minute.

Having already tested Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rayan was involved in a move that saw the ball worked out to Evanilson, and his right-wing centre was swept home by Tavernier. 

Haaland had a header kept out by Petrovic, but that was City's only real opportunity to equalise before half-time, and Bournemouth could easily have gone further ahead before the interval. 

Tavernier curled wide from the edge of the box, while Justin Kluivert's drive was parried by Donnarumma, with no red and black shirts attacking the rebound. 

Guehi – who partnered England team-mate Elliot Anderson in midfield with City still waiting to complete a €100m (£85.6m) deal for Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi – saw a brilliant chance fall his way early in the second half, but he somehow headed wide with the entire goal gaping.

However, Guehi would eventually be the man to get the Citizens level, powering past Petrovic when he was again left unmarked from Cherki's right-wing corner.

City continued to throw players forward in search of a winner, which arrived when Gvardiol showed the composure of a forward to control Cherki's pass and slot into the bottom-left corner, with Maresca celebrating wildly on the touchline after the goal was awarded.

Winning start for Maresca... just

City tend to start well under new management, with Maresca becoming their fifth boss in a row to win his opening Premier League game in charge (including interims).

The last City boss to lose their opening match at the helm in the competition was Mark Hughes, who oversaw a 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa back in August 2008.

However, there is plenty for the Italian to work on after City got away with what was an underwhelming and disjointed performance for long periods. 

The hosts ultimately ended the contest with 2.36 expected goals (xG) to Bournemouth's 0.63, though only 0.49 of City's tally came in the first half, compared to 0.55 for the Cherries.

Cherki's 63rd-minute introduction – in place of O'Reilly – was the turning point, as the Frenchman became the first City player to assist multiple goals as a substitute in a single Premier League game since Ilkay Gundogan in December 2021, versus Leeds United. 

And while Maresca can celebrate a victory, Bournemouth's unbeaten run, which was the longest in the Premier League at 18 matches (W8 D10 under Andoni Iraola at the end of 2025-26) is over, with their previous defeat coming against Arsenal in their first match of 2026.