Enzo Maresca's first Premier League afternoon in the Manchester City dugout was not supposed to look like this. With his newly inherited midfield stripped of three first-choice options, the Italian did not reach for a marquee summer signing to plug the gap — he reached for his own centre-back.

City needed the improvisation. Bournemouth arrived at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and, through Marcus Tavernier's 26th-minute strike, led for the best part of an hour on what was supposed to be the ceremonial first afternoon of the post-Guardiola era.

Instead it turned into a nervy afternoon that only a late twist rescued. City eventually won 2-1, but only after Marc Guehi — signed from Crystal Palace in January as injury cover at centre-back — spent the match playing in a position he had never occupied at senior level: central midfield.

The switch was born of necessity rather than tactical flourish. Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders both left the club this summer, and Bernardo Silva's departure stripped City of another senior option through the middle, leaving Maresca short of recognized cover in front of the back four.

Guehi's performance did more than paper over the gap. He read the game well enough to help City wrestle back territory in the second half, and then, in the 84th minute, rose to head home a corner and level the score.

Substitute Rayan Cherki, sent on by Maresca to chase the game, was central to the turnaround, playing a key role in the build-up as City finally found rhythm after an uneven first half in which Erling Haaland also spurned several presentable chances.

The winner arrived deep into stoppage time. Josko Gvardiol forced the ball home in the second minute of added time, and after the goal was initially flagged offside, a VAR review overturned the call and confirmed City's 2-1 win.

"Guehi has never played as a midfielder — today he was very good," Maresca said afterwards, according to ESPN, crediting a week of training-ground work for his willingness to trust the experiment in a competitive match.

Guehi himself credited the manager for the call. "It was Enzo Maresca's idea," he said, according to Yahoo Sports, of a positional switch he had never trialled in a match before Sunday.

The result offered Maresca some relief after a chastening first test in the job. His only previous game since replacing Pep Guardiola — who left this summer after a decade that brought six Premier League titles and a Champions League crown — was a 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal on August 16.

Whether Guehi remains a makeshift midfielder or reverts to defense once City strengthen that area of the squad is a question for the coming weeks. For now, an unconventional selection has bought Maresca's Manchester City project a winning start.