Maresca era begins with City comeback; Brighton crush Villa
Manchester City secured a 2-1 comeback win over Bournemouth in Enzo Maresca's debut, while Brighton thrashed Aston Villa 4-0.
Manchester City began the post-Guardiola era with a hard-fought 2-1 comeback victory over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium. In Enzo Maresca’s first competitive match in charge, the Premier League champions secured all three points thanks to two late goals from their defenders.
Late drama at the Etihad
Bournemouth, coached by Marco Rose, entered the match carrying the longest unbeaten run across Europe's top five leagues. They took the lead in the 26th minute when Tavernier converted a low cross from Evanilson. City struggled to find an equalizer for much of the game, with Erling Haaland missing several chances and Cherries goalkeeper Petrovic making crucial saves to deny the hosts.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 84th minute as Marc Guehi headed home from a Cherki corner. The turnaround was completed in the 91st minute when Josko Gvardiol found the net with a clinical finish inside the area, following a second assist from Cherki.
Brighton dominate Aston Villa
In the day's other fixture, Brighton delivered a dominant performance to defeat Aston Villa 4-0. The match was effectively decided within the first 31 minutes as Villa struggled to contain the hosts' clinical attack.
- 1-0: Lindelof (own goal).
- 2-0: De Cuyper (18’).
- 3-0 & 4-0: Hinshelwood (30’ and 31’).
Aston Villa’s difficulties were compounded by a red card shown to Gomez in the 40th minute. Greek youngster Kostoulas was introduced as a substitute in the 64th minute, but the result remained unchanged until the final whistle.