Enzo Maresca led Manchester City in their 2–1 comeback against Bournemouth on the 2026–27 Premier League opening weekend.
Manchester City defeated AFC Bournemouth 2–1 at the Etihad Stadium on 23 August 2026. Bournemouth took the lead, but City scored twice late in the match to complete the comeback and give Maresca a winning start as manager.
Maresca replaced Pep Guardiola, whose long Manchester City tenure had ended before the 2026–27 season. The opening fixture therefore represented a major managerial transition for one of the Premier League’s most successful clubs.
The match is easy to misremember because Marco Rose was also a new manager involved in the fixture, but Rose was in charge of Bournemouth. Maresca was the coach in the Manchester City dugout, while Rayan Cherki made a decisive impact from the bench with two assists.