Maresca’s City Era Begins with Late Drama
Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City reign began the hard way – flat for long spells, chaotic at the end, and ultimately rescued in stoppage time. It felt familiar at the Etihad, but this was no Pep Guardiola rerun.
City stumble, then surge
Bournemouth struck first and deserved it. Marcus Tavernier punished a lethargic City with a first-half opener that exposed exactly the doubts raised by last weekend’s 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal: sluggish at the back, short of ideas up front.
For most of the afternoon, City looked like a side still shaking off the Guardiola hangover. The patterns were slower, the press less ferocious, the crowd increasingly restless. Questions about whether they can live with the current Premier League champions this season only grew louder.
Then Maresca rolled his biggest dice.
On came Rayan Cherki, and the entire mood flipped. The French playmaker, signed to provide invention between the lines, immediately started demanding the ball, turning, threading passes into gaps Bournemouth had previously strolled through.
His impact was instant and brutal.
With six minutes left, Cherki whipped in a teasing delivery and Marc Guehi rose to meet it, thudding a header past the keeper for 1-1. The Etihad, tense and half-resigned, roared back into life.
City smelled blood. Bournemouth, who had defended with discipline for so long, suddenly retreated deeper and deeper. The pressure finally told in stoppage time.
Again it was Cherki, again the final ball. This time Josko Gvardiol arrived to stroke home the winner, a composed finish that turned an anxious opening day into a cathartic release for Maresca on the touchline.
“The impact was unbelievable, he is that kind of player,” Maresca said of Cherki. He admitted he had hesitated to start the Frenchman with four players already returning late from holidays, wary of overloading his line-up. In the end, the gamble to hold him back turned into the masterstroke.
Guardiola’s decade yielded 20 trophies and six Premier League titles, his own City story beginning with a late home win over Sunderland in 2016. Maresca will cling to the symmetry. The performance was patchy, the defending fragile, but he walks away with a narrow victory and a little breathing space.
Szoboszlai saves Iraola at the death
Up north, another new era started with less noise but just as much drama.
Andoni Iraola, installed as the figurehead of Liverpool’s sweeping overhaul after Arne Slot’s sacking, Mohamed Salah’s move to Trabzonspor and a blockbuster investment led by Jeff Bezos, saw his side dragged into a wild 2-2 draw at Newcastle.
This was supposed to be Liverpool’s fresh start. It looked alarmingly familiar.
Newcastle went straight for the soft underbelly that had undone Slot last season. Anthony Elanga struck in the first half, capitalising on defensive frailty that Liverpool still haven’t shaken. Iraola’s team had plenty of the ball, but not enough conviction.
Cody Gakpo briefly changed that, levelling soon after the interval and hinting at a more controlled second half. Instead, Liverpool switched off again.
Joe Willock, without a Premier League goal since 2024, restored Newcastle’s lead and tilted the game back towards Matthais Jaissle’s side. St James’ Park sensed a statement win for their new manager.
Liverpool refused to fold. They pushed, probed, and finally, in stoppage time, found a lifeline.
Victor Munoz went down under contact from Lewis Hall, the referee pointed to the spot, and Newcastle fumed. Jaissle branded it “a very soft penalty”, but the decision stood.
Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up with the last kick of the game and buried it, a cold, clinical finish that spared Iraola from opening-day defeat and turned a damaging loss into a salvage job.
“It’s the result you want, scoring in the last minute. I value that the players never gave up,” Iraola said. He insisted Liverpool had the better chances and lamented a first half in which his side constantly worked the ball to the edge of the box, then refused to pull the trigger. “We don’t finish play and then they win on the counter-attack,” he admitted, frustration clear.
Encouraging resilience, worrying fragility. For Liverpool’s new project, the jury stays out.
Brighton feast on weakened Villa
Down on the south coast, there was no late twist, just a ruthless dismantling.
Brighton tore into an Aston Villa side stripped of stars and belief, running out 4-0 winners at the Amex Stadium in a statement opening display.
Unai Emery arrived without a recognised striker amid swirling transfer speculation around Ollie Watkins. Emiliano Martinez and Watkins were both absent from the squad, with reports suggesting they could follow Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and Morgan Rogers out of the club.
Villa looked hollowed out. Brighton smelled opportunity.
Victor Lindelof’s own goal summed up Villa’s chaos, a calamitous moment that handed the Seagulls control. Maxim De Cuyper then pounced from close range, doubling the lead and exposing a side that looked nothing like recent Europa League winners.
Jack Hinshelwood finished the job with brutal efficiency. Two goals in two minutes, and any faint hope of a Villa response vanished. Emery’s team were shell-shocked, chasing shadows, and then reduced to 10 men when Joao Gomes saw red on his league debut just before half-time.
Brighton cruised. Villa crumbled.
On a day when three clubs stepped into new chapters, only one – Maresca’s City – walked away with victory. But as the dust settles, the bigger question lingers: which of these new eras will actually last the distance?
