Manchester City vs Sunderland
Manchester City vs Sunderland
Manchester City vs Sunderland on Sunday brought eight goals, one hat-trick. VAR controversy and a first for Erling Haaland; this game pretty much had it all. Top of the table City went into this game as favourites; however, Sunderland, full of confidence, were not going to make this an easy game for their hosts.
Sunderland played some excellent football, scoring three goals and never giving up; however, defensively, they will be very disappointed. City, despite scoring five, will be relieved that they got over the line thanks to a brace from Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland’s first-ever goal against the Black Cats.
Here’s what has been said since the final whistle.
What Has Been Said Following The Epic Manchester City vs Sunderland Game
Regis Le Bris Proud of His Team
Despite eventually falling to a defeat, Sunderland’s head coach, Regis Le Bris, said he was proud of his team. He said: “I was proud to see us go toe-to-toe with one of the best sides in Europe. We embraced the challenge and created so many chances.
“The reality of the Premier League is that you can be punished for half mistakes, and that’s the lesson for the day. But the belief in the team and the quality we have is high.”
Le Bris On Penalty Appeal
“It’s hard to say, it looks like a handball to me,” he said.
“I don’t know [why it’s not given]. They don’t explain, they just say yes or no.”
Match of the Day Hosts on Penalty Appeal During Manchester City vs Sunderland
Match of the Day hosts Kelly Cates and former City goalkeeper Joe Hart had their say on the penalty appeal. “Well, when I first saw it, I’ll be honest, I thought that Man City had got away with one, Hart said.
“I felt like once the ball comes in here and Le Fée controls it, at first glance, I just see Elliot Anderson’s hand come through, and I think, how have they not given that?” Cates then highlighted the same movement, asking: “It looks like he’s pushing the ball away, doesn’t it?”
Former Black Cat Antoine Semenyo has his say on Sunderland’s Rise and City’s Season so Far
City’s two-goal hero, Antoine Semenyo, who played on loan for Sunderland during their League One days, had praise for how far they have come. He said: “Yeah, so much growth from them. “I was literally speaking to Luke O’Nien, and I played with him when I was there, and it’s so nice to see I’ve been following them still. They’re doing great and just have to keep on going.”
“It’s been good so far. We don’t want to get too complacent. International break now, so everyone will recharge and go to their games. We will come back from the international break and go again. He [Enzo Maresca] has come in and everyone is adjusting and we’re building a nice culture. We’re hoping we can collect as many points as we can.”
Enzo Maresca “We Found a Way”
City boss Maresca was happy with the win but would prefer for victories not to be eight-goal thrillers. He said: “To be honest, I prefer to win 1-0 than 5-3, but I expected a very difficult game. It was very difficult, but we found a way to win the game.
“The good thing also is that these seven official games have all been different. We experience different things. The last one with 10 players, today it was a complicated one. We have a chance to learn from the game.”
Brian Brobbey on Hattrick
“Yeah, I think as a group, we played a really good game. So it’s sad that we lost, he said.
“I’m really happy with the three goals because I was dry for a long time. So when you score three against Man City, it’s a good feeling.”
Further Reading
The Verdict: Bournemouth 0-1 Liverpool
Mikel Arteta Reflects on Humbling Defeat, Learning ‘One of the Biggest Lessons’
Sunderland vs AZ Alkmaar: This is History and a Deserved Reward
Manchester City vs Sunderland Team News and Confirmed Lineups
Featured Image courtesy of IMAGO / Sportimage