Maresca begins City era with dramatic win; Brighton humble Villa
MANCHESTER - Josko Gvardiol struck deep into stoppage time to give Manchester City a dramatic 2-1 victory over Bournemouth on Sunday, handing new manager Enzo Maresca a winning start to his Premier League reign and a successful beginning to the club’s post-Pep Guardiola era. City appeared destined for a frustrating draw after falling behind to Marcus Tavernier’s first-half goal, but Marc Guehi equalised in the 84th minute before Gvardiol completed the comeback in the 91st minute. Gvardiol initially thought his effort had been ruled out for offside, but a VAR review overturned the decision, triggering jubilant celebrations at the Etihad Stadium.
The visitors stunned City in the 26th minute after a defensive lapse allowed Rayan to release Evanilson down the right. The Brazilian delivered a low cross into the area, where Tavernier arrived unmarked at the far post to calmly finish. Maresca’s side responded with sustained pressure but struggled to find a breakthrough until Guehi rose highest from a corner to power a header into the net six minutes from time.
City then completed the turnaround in dramatic fashion. Rayan Cherki found space behind the Bournemouth defence and poked the ball into Gvardiol’s path, allowing the Croatian defender to turn sharply and slot home the decisive goal. Erling Haaland, sporting a new short haircut after abandoning his trademark long blonde hair, endured a relatively quiet afternoon and missed a good opportunity when he misjudged his run and headed Nico O’Reilly’s cross away from goal.
Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion enjoyed a sensational start as they thrashed Aston Villa 4-0, with all four goals and a red card coming before halftime. Villa’s nightmare began in the eighth minute when Pau Torres’ loose back-pass allowed Maxim De Cuyper to pounce. His shot hit the post before rebounding into the net off Victor Lindelof. De Cuyper then scored directly, before Jack Hinshelwood struck twice in less than two minutes to complete a stunning first-half rout. Villa’s misery was compounded by Joao Gomes’ dismissal. The heavy defeat underlined the scale of Villa’s rebuilding challenge following the departures of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Ezri Konsa during the transfer window.
results
Brighton 4-0 Aston Villa
Brentford 3-0 Spurs
Man City 2-1 Bournemouth
Liverpool 2-2 Newcastle