Man City 5-3 Sunderland was less a football match and more a fireworks show with three points attached. Eight goals, a VAR check, a goal-line clearance and one very unlucky hat-trick hero later, Enzo Maresca’s side headed into the international break three points clear at the top of the Premier League. Here is everything you need to know about the result, from Brian Brobbey’s hat-trick to Erling Haaland’s record.
A First Half Straight Out of a Video Game
Enzo Fernández got the party started with a ninth-minute free-kick, his first goal for City since his summer move from Chelsea.
Brian Brobbey levelled within minutes, Rayan Cherki restored the lead in the 29th minute, and Brobbey equalised again. Antoine Semenyo then made it 3-2 before the break. That meant City took the lead three separate times in the first half alone, which Sky Sports notes has happened in only seven Premier League matches ever.
Brian Brobbey, Hat-Trick Hero on the Losing Side
Brobbey bullied Rúben Dias all afternoon. Semenyo struck his second in the 57th minute to give City a two-goal cushion
Brobbey needed just two more minutes to complete his treble and pull Sunderland back to 4-3. It was Sunderland’s first Premier League hat-trick since 2016, and the first time since 2007 that a player has scored three in a Premier League defeat. Sunderland even had nine shots on target to City’s six, which tells you everything about how wild this game was.
Erling Haaland Completes the Premier League Set
Then came the moment the Etihad had been waiting for. In the 81st minute Haaland slid in at the back post to tap in a Joško Gvardiol cross, and the goal stood after VAR overruled an offside call. This was no ordinary late goal. Sunderland were the only Premier League opponent Haaland had faced for City without scoring against, and now he has scored against all 25 clubs he has met. It was his 117th Premier League goal and his fifth of the season, enough to lead the Golden Boot race, with Liverpool’s Alexander Isak one behind on four.
Maresca’s Perfect Start Comes With a Warning
For Maresca, this was a fifth straight league win, making him only the sixth manager to win his first five Premier League games in charge of a club. With Arsenal losing 3-0 at Brighton on Saturday, City now lead by three points on 15, and they are the only side in England’s top four divisions with a perfect record.
But Maresca was not throwing a parade. He said he would rather win 1-0 than 5-3, and admitted two of the three goals conceded were too easy. Dias also had to hook a shot off the line when it could have been 4-4, after Gianluigi Donnarumma failed to deal with a cross.
What Happens Next for Man City?
The next three weeks belong to international football, which gives Maresca time to fix a leaky defence. Can City turn a perfect start into a title charge, or will Sunderland’s fearless blueprint become the way to hurt them? Either way, this Premier League thriller will be talked about for a long time. Did you enjoy the chaos? Share your take in the comments.
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