Manchester City come from behind to beat Bournemouth as Brighton hit four against Aston Villa

Manchester City late turnaround against Bournemouth

Manchester City opened their Premier League campaign under manager Enzo Maresca with a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium. The visitors took the lead in the 26th minute when Rayan found Evanilson on the right wing, who crossed first-time to Marcus Tavernier at the far post to finish. Bournemouth, managed by Marco Rose, maintained their one-goal lead for nearly an hour of play while restricting City's attacking opportunities. City altered their approach in the second half through a sequence of substitutions, introducing Matheus Nunes in the 57th minute followed by Mateo Kovačić and Rayan Cherki in the 63rd minute.

Cherki provided the key passes for both of City's late goals from defensive players. In the 84th minute, the substitute delivered a corner kick that Marc Guéhi headed into the net off a deflection past goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović. City completed the comeback in the second minute of stoppage time when Cherki delivered a through ball into the penalty area to Joško Gvardiol, who finished past Petrović from close range to secure all three points for the home side.

Brighton dismantle Aston Villa in four-goal opening half

Brighton secured a 4-0 home victory against Aston Villa by scoring four goals in the opening 31 minutes of the match. The scoring began in the eighth minute when Maxim De Cuyper's shot deflected in off Victor Lindelöf for an own goal. De Cuyper added Brighton's second goal ten minutes later in the 18th minute following build-up play from Georginio Rutter. Midfielder Jack Hinshelwood then scored twice in rapid succession, heading home in the 30th minute before capitalizing on an Aston Villa defensive mistake in the 31st minute to make it 4-0.

Aston Villa's difficulties mounted in the 40th minute when midfielder João Gomes was shown a direct red card by the referee, reducing manager Unai Emery's side to ten players for the remainder of the contest. Brighton controlled possession throughout the second half without adding to the scoreline. Brighton substitute Babis Kostoulas entered the game in the second half and had a goal ruled out for offside.

Results across the Premier League opening round

Several other fixtures completed the first weekend of the league season with multiple clean-sheet victories across the division. Arsenal defeated Coventry 3-0 at home with goals from Kai Havertz in the 15th minute, Bukayo Saka in the 23rd minute, and Martin Ødegaard in the 49th minute. Brentford secured a 3-0 home win over Tottenham courtesy of strikes from Keane Lewis-Potter in the 12th minute, Vitaly Janelt in the 33rd minute, and Benjamin Fredrick Kayode in the 49th minute. Hull defeated Manchester United 2-0 with first-half goals from Semi Ajayi in the 17th minute and Nampalys Mendy in the 38th minute. Everton recorded a 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace through goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the 42nd minute and Louie Barry in the 53rd minute. Ipswich defeated Sunderland 2-1 with goals from Emerson and Angulo, while Leeds edged Nottingham Forest 1-0 via an 87th-minute goal from Anton Stach.

Upcoming schedule and second round fixtures

The opening round concludes with Newcastle hosting Liverpool on 23 August at 18:30 and Chelsea travelling to face Fulham on 24 August at 22:00. Manchester City will next play away against Crystal Palace on 28 August at 22:00, while Bournemouth will host Everton on 29 August at 17:00. The second matchday also includes Liverpool against Nottingham Forest and Coventry facing Hull on 29 August, followed by Chelsea hosting Brighton on 30 August and Aston Villa welcoming Arsenal on 31 August.