Manchester City climbed to the top of the Premier League table after a thrilling 5-3 victory over Sunderland on Sunday.
Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring for City, netting his first goal for the club to ignite the encounter at the Etihad Stadium. The Argentine midfielder, who joined from Chelsea for £125 million on transfer deadline day, struck early to put the hosts ahead.
Sunderland responded through Brian Brobbey, who equalised after Fernandez’s opener and later cancelled out Rayan Cherki’s effort.
Antoine Semenyo’s brace kept City in front before Brobbey completed his hat-trick to reduce the deficit for the visitors.
Erling Haaland sealed the win in the closing stages to secure City’s seventh consecutive victory in all competitions this season.
The result leaves City with the only perfect record remaining in the Premier League this season, three points clear of champions Arsenal heading into the international break.
It has been a dream start for Enzo Maresca as he takes on the task of replacing Pep Guardiola, who left the club at the end of last season after winning 20 trophies.
City have now scored 13 goals in five league games to reach the summit, though Maresca will be concerned about the defensive lapses exposed by Sunderland, especially with games against Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain after the break.
Fernandez broke the deadlock after just nine minutes with a curling free-kick that caught goalkeeper Robin Roefs off guard at the near post.
Sunderland hit back quickly as Brobbey latched onto Enzo Le Fee’s pass and fired clinically past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 12th minute.
Cherki restored City’s lead in the 29th minute after Sunderland failed to clear their lines, with the French forward prodding home.
City’s defensive frailties were exposed again in the 33rd minute when Le Fee and Thomas Meunier combined to set up Brobbey, who finished from close range. The goal stood after a three-minute VAR check for a possible offside.
A frantic first half ended with Semenyo drilling in his first goal of the season in the 43rd minute. Marc Guehi slipped trying to reach Cherki’s pass, but the ball fell to the Ghanaian forward who lashed home from close range.
Semenyo doubled his tally in the 52nd minute, capitalising on Cherki’s pass with a composed finish after another defensive error from Sunderland.
Just as City looked set to run away with it, Brobbey completed his hat-trick two minutes later. Nilson Angulo’s effort was already heading for goal before Brobbey tapped in to ensure Guehi could not clear.
In a relentless second half, Ruben Dias almost gifted Sunderland an equaliser when he inadvertently directed the ball towards his own net before clearing.
Haaland finally settled the contest in the 81st minute, finishing at the far post for his seventh goal in six games this season.
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