Manchester City survived a wild eight-goal thriller against Sunderland to maintain their perfect Premier League start and move three points clear at the top of the table.
The champions eventually secured a 5-3 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, but Sunderland refused to make life easy for Enzo Maresca’s side.
City twice took the lead in the opening half-hour, only for Brian Brobbey to drag Sunderland level on both occasions.
Antoine Semenyo then struck twice to give City breathing room, but Brobbey completed his hat-trick before Erling Haaland finally delivered the decisive blow nine minutes from time.
The result means City are the only Premier League team with a 100 per cent record after five matches.
Maresca has also joined an exclusive group of managers to win their opening five Premier League games in charge of a new club, becoming only the sixth coach to achieve the feat.
Pep Guardiola, his predecessor, is also on that list.
City’s opening goal arrived in the ninth minute through Enzo Fernández, who marked his first goal for the club in spectacular fashion.
After Iliman Ndiaye was brought down by Dayann Methalie during a rapid City attack, the Sunderland defence appeared to expect a delivery into the box.
Fernández had other ideas.
The midfielder whipped his free-kick towards the near post from a tight angle, catching goalkeeper Robin Roefs off guard and putting City ahead.
The advantage lasted only three minutes.
Enzo Le Fée split the City defence with a precise pass, allowing Brobbey to lift the ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma and restore parity.
The game quickly turned into a frantic end-to-end battle.
City’s aggressive press eventually created another opening, with Ndiaye forcing a turnover before Semenyo helped the ball towards Rayan Cherki.
Cherki kept his composure before firing a low effort through a crowded penalty area and into the bottom corner.
Once again, Sunderland responded almost immediately.
Brobbey swept home Thomas Meunier’s cross, with VAR taking its time before confirming that the striker had stayed just onside.
City were not finished.
Marc Guéhi won possession at the back post before the ball fell to Semenyo, who unleashed an unstoppable strike to send the hosts into the interval with a 3-2 advantage.
Haaland could have added another before the break, while Donnarumma was forced into action to tip a deflected Brobbey effort over the crossbar.
The second half began at a slower pace, but the chaos soon returned.
Semenyo pounced on poor defending to smash City’s fourth and seemingly put the game beyond Sunderland.
But Brobbey had other ideas.
Just two minutes later, he completed his hat-trick by turning in Nilson Angulo’s header from close range.
Sunderland were suddenly within touching distance again.
City needed another moment of quality, and Haaland provided it.
With six minutes remaining, Joško Gvardiol delivered from the left and Haaland slid in to convert the cross.
The assistant referee immediately raised the offside flag, but VAR intervened and correctly overturned the decision.
The goal completed Haaland’s Premier League set, with the Norwegian now having scored against all 25 teams he has faced in the competition.
It was also his seventh goal in seven appearances this season.
City pushed for a sixth late on, with Nico O’Reilly denied by Roefs, while Sunderland nearly produced another twist when Dan Ballard struck the post.
Jérémy Doku also returned from injury to make his first appearance since the Community Shield as City eventually saw out an extraordinary afternoon.
The victory leaves City top of the Premier League on 15 points, three ahead of Arsenal.
More importantly, Maresca’s side head into the international break as the division’s only perfect team.
Their next league test will be a huge one.
City return to Premier League action on October 11 with a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool, before hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League three days later.
After surviving Sunderland’s eight-goal storm, City remain unbeaten, flawless and firmly in control at the top.
Toosin is a dedicated sports writer with a strong background in crafting engaging and insightful content. With experience at Goal, he has developed a sharp editorial sense and a refined storytelling approach that brings depth and perspective to sports journalism. His passion for the game goes beyond the headlines, as he captures both the excitement of the sport and the compelling human narratives behind each event. Toosin’s work resonates with a broad and diverse audience, making global sports stories accessible, relatable, and impactful.
