Manchester City continued their impressive start to the Premier League season with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, as Erling Haaland scored twice to help the hosts secure a seventh consecutive league win.
Key Highlights
- Haaland scores twice and Foden once as City beat Ipswich 3-2.
- City go six points clear with a club-record seven wins from seven.
- Enzo Maresca becomes the first Premier League manager to win his first seven games at a club.
- Haaland’s late acrobatic effort is ruled out for offside.
- Kovacic and Matheus Nunes forced off as injury worries mount.
Phil Foden also got on the scoresheet for City, while Daizen Maeda and Zian Flemming scored for Ipswich in a contest that produced an exciting finish.
The victory extended City’s lead at the top of the Premier League table to six points and established a new club record for the best start to a league campaign, with seven wins from seven matches.
How the Goals Went In
City broke the deadlock in the 19th minute when Foden finished off a move set up by Jérémy Doku, ending his wait for a league goal since December.
Ipswich responded almost immediately, with Maeda finding the net just 155 seconds later after getting past Marc Guéhi to level the score.
Haaland restored City’s advantage in the 34th minute, converting Mateo Kovačić’s assist to give the hosts a 2-1 lead going into the break.
The Norwegian striker struck again in the 69th minute, calmly finishing after being set up by Iliman Ndiaye to put City in a commanding position.
Haaland appeared to have completed his hat-trick with an acrobatic effort later in the match, but the goal was disallowed following an offside decision against Enzo Fernández in the build-up.
Ipswich made the closing stages tense when Flemming converted a penalty in the 90th minute after Guéhi fouled Abdul Fatawu.
Despite the late pressure and 12 minutes of added time, City held on to claim all three points.
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Maresca Makes History
The result also marked a significant milestone for manager Enzo Maresca, who became the first manager in Premier League history to win his first seven matches in charge of a club.
Manchester City also joined Chelsea, who achieved the feat in the 2005-06 season, and Liverpool, who accomplished it in 2019-20, as the only teams to win their opening seven matches in a Premier League campaign.
The achievement came amid continued uncertainty surrounding City’s appeal against a verdict finding the club guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial regulations relating to the period between 2009 and 2018.
Before kick-off, City supporters demonstrated their backing for the club by booing the Premier League anthem and waving inflatable bananas, reviving a tradition associated with the club’s supporters in the 1980s.
Injury Concerns
However, the victory was accompanied by injury concerns for Maresca, with midfielders Kovačić and Matheus Nunes forced off during the match.
Haaland and substitute Antoine Semenyo also appeared to experience discomfort towards the end of the encounter.
Haaland, who has now scored eight Premier League goals this season, headed straight down the tunnel after the final whistle following what appeared to be an injury concern.
Despite the potential setbacks, City maintained their winning momentum, reinforcing their position as early contenders for the Premier League title.
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