We went 1-0 down midway through the first half when Marcus Tavernier swept home but a determined City never gave up and were rewarded with two goals late on through Marc Guéhi and Joško Gvardiol.
It rounded off a glorious occasion for Maresca’s first Premier League game as City boss, with a record Etihad Stadium crowd of 60,645 backing the team throughout.
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The Italian had also been welcomed ahead of kick-off by way of a huge banner unfurled over the East Stand, as well another in the South Stand showing him taking his place amongst City’s recent managers.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Maresca had no interest in hiding his delight.
“It’s the perfect day to be honest,” he said.
“I was very pleased when the game started and to see the banner on the other side.
“I was glad when it was over also, to give them the joy of the three points. It was quite emotional and the perfect day.”
City fought until the end to seal the three points, with Gvardiol’s winner coming in added time after the 90 minutes had been completed.
Maresca says it’s no less than we deserved.
“The spirit was fantastic,” he began.
“It’s a game that we deserved to win. A game probably you don’t need to win to last eight minutes for the amount of chances we had.
“Before they scored they had two or three chances. We miss and when they score and you miss it becomes more complicated.
“In the second half they didn’t have a shot on goal until the 80th minute so I think we deserved it.”
While the result is a lot more positive than last week’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, Maresca says it doesn’t affect the way he views the work already undertaken and what City still have to work on.
“I feel in the same position as after Arsenal,” said the boss.
“I know that most of the time it’s normal you judge because of the results, but I don’t see a big difference from one week ago to today.
“Unfortunately this is a work in progress that’s why I’m looking for new solutions like Guéhi as a midfielder, different.
“We need a solution, we need to prepare the team for one season.
“When you win games you need help from the environment, from the fans for the team, from everyone. We are more happy today than a week ago.”
Premier League 2026/27 home tickets now on sale
General admission tickets for Manchester City’s home 2026/27 Premier League fixtures are now on sale to Premium, Matchday and Junior Members.
Season Ticket Members, meanwhile, are now also able to purchase additional tickets for selected games.
Premier League match-by-match ticket prices for junior and adult Matchday Members have been retained at the same rate for a third consecutive season.
It promises to be another thrilling campaign for the Blues as we enter a new era under the guidance of Enzo Maresca, who takes over from Pep Guardiola in the hotseat.
Make sure you secure your spot at the Etihad Stadium for our Premier League fixtures now!
