Manchester City player ratings as Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol strike late to secure victory in Premier League encounter with Bournemouth
Marc Guehi nods home for Manchester City against Bournemouth
Manchester City required stoppage-time goals from Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol to overcome Bournemouth 2-1 in Enzo Maresca’s inaugural Premier League match as manager. The Citizens made a bright start in their first fixture at the Etihad since Pep Guardiola departed the club but defensive lapses enabled Bournemouth to claim a first-half advantage.
Guehi squandered a straightforward opportunity from a set-piece and it appeared Maresca would suffer defeat on his home bow as time ran out. However, the England international climbed highest from Rayan Cherki’s delivery to bring elation and comfort to the supporters.
City pushed forward searching for a late winner, and Gvardiol struck in added time to send the home crowd into raptures. The effort was initially disallowed for offside before being awarded following video review.
Here are the player ratings from the Manchester Evening News.
Donnarumma: Produced several solid stops to prevent City from further embarrassment on an afternoon where he had minimal involvement. 7
Lewis: Impressive going forward and combining with Foden, but terrible at tracking back and covering Bournemouth forwards. 5
Khusanov: Caused problems for the build-up that resulted in Bournemouth’s goal and that was not his sole error. 5
Dias: Still appears off the pace and is a player who needs to be fully focused before he can properly support teammates. 5
Gvardiol: Not as sharp defensively as required but what a clinical finish at the death. 5
Anderson: Won possession effectively and attempted to control proceedings but occasionally lost out as Bournemouth turned physical. 6
Guehi: About as much of a defensive midfielder as Lewis is a right-back. Not his doing but still unconvincing; at least his aerial ability came good. 6
O’Reilly: Among City’s more effective performers, providing an attacking threat down the left despite should have done better from an early set-piece. 6
Foden: Determined but lacking necessary quality in the final third and too frequently looked to win free kicks. 5
Semenyo: City’s most potent weapon in possession, although he seemed less influential as the match progressed. 6
Haaland: Some impressive passages of play undermined by clear-cut opportunities he should have converted. 5
Substitutes
Nunes (for Lewis, 57) Several purposeful runs and alert to threats at the back. 6
Kovacic (for Anderson, 63) Immediately got into the contest and navigated a couple of nervy moments. 6
Cherki (for O’Reilly, 63) Excellent delivery for Guehi’s goal and then a second assist for the clincher. 7
Grealish (for Foden, 82) Nothing worth mentioning. 6
Not used: Rulli, Ait-Nouri, Reis, Gonzalez, Marmoush