Josko Gvardiol struck in the 91st minute as Manchester City came from behind to beat Bournemouth 2-1 in a dramatic Premier League season-opener.

Late turnaround at the Etihad

Bournemouth took a deserved lead in the 26th minute when Marcus Tavernier finished from close range. Manchester City created chances in response, with Marc Guehi and Erling Haaland among those who came close, but the visitors looked set to claim a historic victory at the Etihad.

City eventually equalised through a Guehi header before Gvardiol completed the turnaround deep into stoppage time. The result came despite City still trailing as late as the 84th minute—the latest they had been behind in a Premier League home match they went on to win since their 2011-12 title-winning campaign finale against Queens Park Rangers.

Gvardiol: “The most important thing is that we won”

Speaking to Sky Sports, Gvardiol said the opening-day victory was especially important given the changes around the team.

“Everyone is proud in the moment; it's the opening game of the season, and we know how important it is, especially with all the changes we've had in the previous weeks.”

The Croatia international admitted he was confident he had stayed onside for the winning goal, but said he had to wait for the official decision before celebrating fully.

“To be fair, I was quite sure I was onside, but it's difficult; in that moment, you are just waiting to see the referee's reaction. I am glad, in the end, it's a goal.”

Gvardiol added that City would quickly turn their attention to a difficult away fixture against Crystal Palace, insisting that “the most important thing is that we won.”

Bournemouth left frustrated

For Bournemouth manager Marco Rose, the defeat ended his side’s 18-match unbeaten league run and denied them a landmark win in his first competitive match in charge.

Rose felt Bournemouth had performed well for long spells but conceded from two avoidable situations late on: a corner where City created space with a block and a second phase in which his team became too passive around the penalty area.

“At the end, we needed to finish the game. We had many good moments, we suffered, we found triggers to win balls, we had chances.”

Despite the painful result, Rose described the performance as a good away display and said Bournemouth would work on the details needed to close out games against the Premier League’s strongest teams.