Watch: Rayan Cherki comes off the bench to provide two assists as Man City complete late comeback vs Bournemouth

Manchester City’s new era under Enzo Maresca started off in a very typical Manchester City manner, with the Cityzens scoring two late goals to come back from a goal down and secure a dramatic 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.

The Cityzens looked set to suffer a frustrating defeat after Bournemouth held their lead for most of the match, but a decisive cameo from Rayan Cherki completely changed the contest.

Bournemouth lead before Rayan Cherki changes the game

Bournemouth took the lead in the 26th minute when Marcus Tavernier capitalised on Evanilson’s setup to fire the visitors ahead.

City struggled to break down Bournemouth’s resilient defensive shape for much of the game, with Maresca turning to Cherki in the 63rd minute in an attempt to inject more creativity into his attack.

Cherki’s first decisive contribution came in the 84th minute when he delivered a pinpoint corner into the penalty area, allowing Marc Guéhi to rise highest and head the ball beyond Petrović to bring City level.

No mistakes this time from Marc Guehi ? pic.twitter.com/xlCJXWUzz6

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 23, 2026

Then, in the 91st minute of stoppage time, the Frenchman provided a stunning threaded pass for Josko Gvardiol, who controlled the ball in the penalty area and produced a clinical striker’s finish into the bottom corner to snatch all three points.

Joško Gvardiol scores in stoppage time! ? pic.twitter.com/FrTrfIg3ur

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 23, 2026

Rayan Cherki just showed why he should start for Man City

Cherki’s impact was remarkable considering he had fewer than 30 minutes to make a difference.

The 22-year-old provided the creativity, vision and quality in the final third that Manchester City had been missing for much of the afternoon.

His delivery from the corner created the equaliser before his perfectly weighted pass set up Gvardiol for the winner.

While Maresca initially opted for a more disciplined midfield setup, Cherki’s game-changing cameo has given his manager a major selection dilemma ahead of City’s next fixture.

If the Frenchman can produce that level of creativity consistently, it will be difficult for Maresca to justify keeping him on the bench.

Cherki has therefore made a compelling early case for a starting role, and his performance against Bournemouth could prove to be the beginning of a much bigger role under Maresca.