Manchester City manager Maresca admitted he was satisfied with the victory.

In the latest round of the Premier League, Manchester City defeated newly promoted Coventry City 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium, securing their third consecutive win at the start of the new season and temporarily leading the standings.

Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the first half, but goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made two crucial saves late in the game to keep the score level. Enzo Fernandes, who joined midweek, was called up to make his Manchester City debut after O'Reilly suffered an injury during pre-match warm-up.

In a post-match interview, head coach Enzo Maresca admitted that the victory was not easy, but he was satisfied with the team's resilience: "To be honest, I am very satisfied with this victory."

“In these kinds of games, you can easily concede a goal in the final moments if you’re not careful. We should have scored two or three goals in the first half, but we failed to kill the game, which gave our opponents hope of a comeback.”

Facing Coventry City's relentless attack in the final moments, Maresca particularly praised the defensive focus: "If the score were 2-0, the game would have been completely different."

"But the whole team united and withstood the pressure in the final moments, and did a great job defending both throw-ins and set pieces. Not every victory can be won easily and beautifully, and we need a tough battle like this in every aspect."

Regarding Enzo's unexpected starting appearance, Maresca said, "Oreli had a slight back discomfort, so we didn't let him play as a precaution. Enzo had only been with the team for two days, and the original plan was for him to come on as a substitute, but he performed quite well after starting unexpectedly."

Image source: Internet/Manchester City official website