Man City Beat Sunderland in Eight-Goal Thriller
Manchester City maintained their perfect Premier League start on Sunday after surviving a spirited Sunderland challenge to claim a thrilling 5-3 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
City were forced to work for the three points as Sunderland twice fought back from behind, with Brian Brobbey completing a hat-trick in a match that remained open until the final stages.
The victory leaves City three points clear at the top of the table heading into the international break.
Sunderland started brightly but fell behind in the ninth minute when Enzo Fernandez curled a free-kick beyond goalkeeper Robin Roefs. It was Fernandez’s first goal for City since his £125 million move from Chelsea.
The visitors responded almost immediately. Brobbey collected Enzo Le Fee’s pass and calmly found the net to bring Sunderland level.
City regained the lead in the 29th minute through Rayan Cherki, who reacted quickly inside the penalty area after the ball fell kindly for him.
Sunderland refused to back down, and Brobbey struck again to make it 2-2 after Thomas Meunier’s assist.
City eventually regained the advantage before the break when Antoine Semenyo finished emphatically, giving the hosts a 3-2 lead at half-time.
Semenyo added his second goal in the 57th minute after Sunderland failed to clear the danger, putting City two goals ahead for the first time in the match.
But Sunderland had another response. Brobbey completed his hat-trick by turning in Nilson Angulo’s effort, reducing the deficit to 4-3 and setting up a tense final spell.
The visitors came close to finding another equaliser, with Ruben Dias forced into a desperate clearance after a dangerous Sunderland attack threatened to produce an own goal.
City finally ended Sunderland’s hopes when Erling Haaland scored late to make it 5-3.
The goal also extended Haaland’s remarkable record of scoring against every Premier League club he has faced in England.
The victory was City’s seventh consecutive win in all competitions under manager Enzo Maresca, but the three goals conceded will give the coach plenty to consider during the international break. Maresca admitted afterwards that he would have preferred a much tighter victory.
Despite the defeat, Brobbey’s three-goal performance stood out. He became the first Sunderland player to score a Premier League hat-trick since Jermaine Defoe in 2016.
For City, however, the attacking firepower proved decisive once again as they preserved their 100 per cent league record and strengthened their position at the top of the table.
