Iraola Frankly Admits Mistakes After Wild Debut; Devastated Emery After Rout: "It's Crazy"

Maresca had already made his competitive debut in the Community Shield, where his team fell 3-0 to Arsenal. However, City fans quickly forgot that loss and prepared a banner for their manager ahead of the opening Premier League fixture. "It was a great day. I was very pleased to see that message at the start of the match. We repaid the fans with three points," the Italian was quoted by AFP.

Their quest for three points wasn't straightforward, as Marcus Tavernier opened the scoring in the 26th minute. The 27-year-old Englishman could have added a second goal shortly after, but his shot went just wide of the post. The second half, however, was dominated by the home side. Immediately after the break, Marc Guehi had a chance to equalize, but Djordje Petrović, who was in fine form, kept the "Cherries" in the game. In the end, though, he couldn't stop two precise strikes that turned the score around. Substitute Rayan Cherki assisted both goals.

"He's exactly the type of player who can make a big impact coming off the bench. I like him, I told him that after the game. You can see when he's not happy, which he wasn't today, but I had to bring him on from the bench. In the end, it was a good decision," admitted Maresca, whose hopes for three points were ignited in the 85th minute by Marc Guehi, playing unusually in central midfield.

"I know him from Crystal Palace, and I always thought he could be a good midfielder. He put in a good performance today, and it gives us more options for the future," added the Manchester City coach.

After the equalizer, his players didn't give up and pushed for a win. They achieved it in second-half stoppage time when Joško Gvardiol ran onto Cherki's ball behind the defense. The 24-year-old Croatian scored, but his celebration was initially cut short by the assistant referee for an alleged offside. However, VAR overturned the decision, and City held onto their lead until the final whistle.

"We deserved to win today. We created a lot of chances and showed that we have a great spirit," Maresca rejoiced after his first victory at the helm of Manchester City.

Andoni Iraola, Arne Slot's successor on the Liverpool bench, had a less successful debut. The clash of the two new coaches started better for Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle. In just the 5th minute, Anthony Elanga found the back of Alisson's net.

"In the first half, we probably didn't finish anything. We had a lot of balls on the edge of the box, but we should have shot. We're not finishing actions, and then they capitalize on counter-attacks," admitted the 44-year-old Iraola.

The visitors from Merseyside struggled for a long time but eventually found a way through the "Magpies'" defense. In the 55th minute, Ryan Gravenberch redirected the ball to the edge of the box, where Cody Gakpo picked it up and equalized with a low shot to the left post. However, the draw didn't last long; just two minutes later, Joe Willock put the home side back in front.

Just when it looked like Newcastle would secure all three points, Lewis Hall committed a foul in the penalty area. Dominik Szoboszlai converted the resulting spot-kick, securing a share of the points at St. James' Park.

"I appreciate that my players didn't give up. You always want a result like that with a late goal. However, before the match, we certainly wouldn't have taken a draw. I think we had better chances," stated the former Bournemouth coach.

Jaissle wasn't overly satisfied either, but he accepted a point against a tough opponent without key players Dan Burn and Joelinton. "We have a very good foundation to build on. However, I think one point is not enough for us. It was a very harsh penalty decision, so celebrating a draw is difficult for us. Nevertheless, we feel a lot of confidence and are really proud of what we showed," admitted the 38-year-old German.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has far more reason to be dissatisfied. His team was comprehensively beaten 4-0 by Brighton, conceding all four goals within the opening 31 minutes. First, Victor Lindelöf scored an own goal, Maxim De Cuyper made it 2-0, and Jack Hinshelwood scored twice in two minutes. João Gomes' red card capped off a disastrous first half for the "Villans."

"A tough game, especially the first half-hour. We made so many mistakes, and the opponent punished every single one of them. Conceding four goals in one half is crazy," admitted a disappointed Emery. Speculation about striker Ollie Watkins' departure did not help his mood.

"That's a question for him. I can only answer that with silence," stated the 54-year-old manager, who had already had to contend with the departures of Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, and Morgan Rogers during the summer transfer window.