Manchester City and Sunderland played out an eight-goal fest at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon that finished 5-3 in the favour of Enzo Maresca and co.
Enzo Fernandez scored his first goal in Manchester City colours with a brilliant free-kick against Sunderland.
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Sunderland started the match pushing forward, with a high press and more control over possession. However, Manchester City struck first thanks to a wonderful Enzo Fernandez tight angle free kick in the ninth minute - won by Iliman Ndiaye on the first time the home side advanced towards the visitors’ goal.
Only three minutes later, Brian Brobbey received an inch perfect pass from Enzo Le Fee and made sure the initial momentum was kept by the Black Cats, scoring past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
After this goal, City proposed more. On the half-hour mark, the Blues’s press was effective: Iliman Ndiaye recovered the ball, Elliot Anderson quickly played Erling Haaland inside the box, Semenyo got the bounce and left it for Rayan Cherki to ignore three defenders and slot it home.
Yet again, only three spins of the clock were necessary for Sunderland to level up. This time, Le Fee hit another beautiful line breaking pass, this time to Thomas Meunier, who only rolled it for Brobbey to complete with a tap in.
Ten minutes afterwards, Cherki crossed the ball in the way of Marc Guehi. The defender then fought to control and keep it with the Black Cats’ backline. Although he couldn’t direct it the way it was intended, the rebound found Semenyo, who lashed up a shot to restore the advantage.
There was still time in the first half for Haaland to miss a sitter - Ndiaye passed the ball for the Norwegian to score an open goal, but the number 9 missed slightly with his right foot.
Manchester City also struck first in the second-half, with 57 minutes played. Semenyo grabbed his second after Cherki’s through ball deflected over both Kevin Danso and Nordi Mukiele, leaving him in a one-vs-one against goalkeeper Robin Roefs.
Sunderland’s response was fast one more time, as it took two minutes for Granit Xhaka to launch the ball inside the area, in the direction Nilson Angulo, who touched it away from Gianluigi Donnarumma and Ruben Dias, leaving Brobbey with an open net to seal his hat-trick.
Not living his best days, Dias scared the crowd at Etihad Stadium, having to clear off the line what would have been an unlucky own goal on the 70th minute mark.
Enzo Maresca’s men then decided to seal the deal with Erling Haaland, this time scoring with the same foot that had missed earlier. Josko Gvardiol ran in behind the Sunderland defence and then delivered the perfect score for the Norwegian to hit the back of the net in a sliding effort.
Haaland now has scored against all 25 teams he has faced in the Premier League, with 117 goals and 24 assists in 137 appearances in blue.
Now, the players will join their respective national squads, as the first international break of the 2026/27 season has arrived. After a three-week break, Manchester City will return to action in the Premier League against Liverpool on October 11.
Here are five things we learned from Manchester City's 5-3 win over Sunderland on Sunday!
The Etihad Stadium was treated to an an eight-goal thriller on Sunday afternoon that went in the way of Manchester City, who remain perfect in the Premier League under Enzo Maresca.cityxtra.co.ukMatch Report and Player Ratings: Man City 5-3 Sunderland (Premier League)
The Etihad Stadium was treated to an an eight-goal thriller on Sunday afternoon that went in the way of Manchester City, who remain perfect in the Premier League under Enzo Maresca.
1. In Your Head, Enzo!
Fernandez joined Manchester City on deadline day for £125 million. However, it looks like he has been at the club for a long time - perhaps due to his previous work with Maresca, at Chelsea.
The Argentine knows perfectly when to slow the tempo or when to speed it up, besides his incredible positioning - always offering an option as a free man for his teammates.
The free-kick goal, besides being stunning, shows how clever Fernandez is. He noticed Roefs’ positioning left a gap in the top corner and had the quality to just place it there, giving the Blues a brief moment of relief in what was a tough start to the match.
If Fernandez keeps getting inside opponents' heads with his performances, City will see every penny spent on him become worth it, as he already is an extremely important player for the tactical system used by Maresca.
2. Semenyo Delivers
Two goals and one assist: that is what Semenyo offers. Without him, a win wouldn’t have been possible against Sunderland, as well as against Manchester United, when he gave the pre-assist for Erling Haaland to score, and Coventry, when he assisted the only goal of the game - also for Haaland.
The Ghanaian winger is prolific in front of the net and proved that with goals using both his feet - the first using the right foot, the second with the left. As he put his name on the scoresheet for the time this campaign, Semenyo helped the team outscore Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland.
Also, he is capable of playing on both flanks, meaning his positioning can vary depending on the other winger, the opponent or even the gameplan. If Manchester City currently sit top of the table with five wins in five matches, much is owed to Antoine Semenyo’s goal involvements.
3. Ndiaye and Doku: Danger on the Wings
Ndiaye was the starter, and played a pivotal part on the right wing in the first 45 minutes. It was him who skipped past the entire Sunderland defence and then suffered the foul that originated Enzo Fernandez’s opener.
The new number seven was also responsible for the interception that generated Rayan Cherki’s goal. Ndiaye should have also finished the first half with an assist to his, but Erling Haaland could not bag the easiest of chances.
Then, in the second-half, his performance dipped a little. When the clock hit the 75th minute, Maresca gave Jeremy Doku, who was injured in the Community Shield loss to Arsenal, his return to the pitch, bringing the spark to the left, shifting Semenyo to the right.
Doku was responsible for a glamorous through ball to leave Gvardiol with space to cross for Haaland to secure the victory. Only six minutes later, the Belgian international found another spectacular pass, this time for Nico O’Reilly, who stopped at Roefs in what should have been City’s sixth celebration of the afternoon.
With both wingers creating this amount of trouble for the adversary on either flank, Maresca will have a lot of options to consider when picking up his team. If both Ndiaye and Doku are to start together in the near future, then the opposition’s fullbacks may be in danger.
4. Alarm Bells Ringing in Defence
Despite securing the triumph, the game never looked comfortable for the Blues’ defence. Sunderland generated a total of 4.15 xG in this match, with 17 shots and nine on target. The visitors could have and should have scored more at the Etihad Stadium.
Brian Brobbey, besides scoring a hat-trick, used his body to shield the ball against Ruben Dias far too easily, as the Portuguese centre-back struggled in the match. Dias himself almost scored an own goal, having to stretch himself in order to prevent what would have been an equalizer by then.
With all three goals coming from line-breaking actions in between a fullback and a centre-back, City have to pay more attention for overlapping runs in behind. Considering that the Blues’ next challenge is against Liverpool at Anfield, it might be time to work on the defensive line, thinking about the high paced football adopted by manager Andoni Iraola.
5. Magic When it’s Needed: Rayan Cherki
Cherki scored Manchester City’s goal number two for the second game in a row. The Frenchman seems to be having the form of his life as he now reaches four goals and two assists in all competitions this season.
His contributions in possession also feel more controlled, smart and direct. He provided at least two jaw-breaking long balls against the Black Cats - and this is not considering the deflected pass in the direction of Semenyo before the fourth.
Cherki certainly seems more mature and the best version of the Frenchman may be yet to come, since he only keeps improving match after match. The number 10 is in line to have a monstrous season in sky blue.