Manchester City 5-3 Sunderland: Maresca's perfect start sends City three points clear
Manchester City beat Sunderland 5-3 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, moving three points clear at the top of the Premier League after Arsenal were thumped 3-0 by Brighton. The win makes it five league victories from five for Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola in the summer.
- Fixture: Manchester City 5-3 Sunderland, Etihad Stadium
- Competition: Premier League
- Context: Arsenal lost 3-0 at Brighton the previous day, opening the door for City
- Maresca milestone: Only the sixth Premier League manager to win his first five games at a club
- Haaland: Has now scored against all 25 Premier League teams he has faced
What was said
"To be honest, I prefer to win 1-0 than 5-3 but I expected a very difficult game."
"I knew how they good are, off the ball very aggressive and on the ball they have different weapons, set-pieces and [Brian] Brobbey."
"I know it was a difficult game but [I'm] happy because we found a way to win the game and the good thing also is that these seven official games we played, they are all different, we experienced different things."
"In the last one with 10 men and today was a complicated one - the Bournemouth one we were losing 1-0 so also a chance to learn from the game."
"A lot to work on but [positive] to score five goals at home and have shown that level of performance."
"With Arsenal losing on Saturday, [City] could have gone into the break top of the table and they have done that today."
"I am always concerned, always trying to see what we can do better. For sure, two of the three goals we conceded were too easy."
"The second coming from a quick [Granit] Xhaka free-kick and that cannot happen. The third goal comes from another free-kick, too easy in that way."
"We concede more chances but we scored five, created [more] and could score two or three more."
"Maresca will be delighted in terms of how it has gone, the new players coming in and how he has adapted to being the Manchester City manager."
"In terms of things to improve on, they can't go through a season playing like that, they need to be able to control spaces at times, instead of getting dragged everywhere man against man."
"[A] real positive feeling" and City "can go into this international break with real pride."
Maresca's tone was telling. He preferred a 1-0 to a 5-3, and he publicly flagged two of the three goals conceded as "too easy". The Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey scored a hat-trick against him and still finished on the losing side. The City manager gets the international break with top spot banked, but he knows control is the next fix.
The numbers
- Score: Manchester City 5-3 Sunderland
- City's league position: Three points clear at the top of the Premier League
- City's winning run: Seven straight victories in all competitions
- Maresca's league record: Five wins from five Premier League games as City boss
- City's goals conceded before Sunday: Two in their first four Premier League games
- City's goals conceded on Sunday: Three in 90 minutes
- Sunderland's xG: 4.25 — the most by any visiting side on record at the Etihad in a Premier League game
- Brobbey: The sixth player to score a Premier League hat-trick and end up on the losing side
- Haaland: Has now scored against all 25 Premier League teams he has faced
- City's next fixture: Away at Liverpool on Sunday, 11 October
The Perfect 24 Hours That Flipped The Title Race Feeling
Saturday's news from the south coast did half the job for Manchester City: Brighton thumped champions Arsenal 3-0, and the title picture shifted before a ball was kicked at the Etihad. Sunday then turned it into a perfect 24 hours. City's 5-3 win over Sunderland opened a three-point gap at the top, and crucially the only 100% winning record in England's top four divisions belongs to them.
The narrative around Enzo Maresca has flipped fast. Knives were being sharpened after a Community Shield humbling by Mikel Arteta's Gunners in August, and his task was always awkward: replacing Pep Guardiola. Seven straight wins in all competitions later, Maresca sits alongside Carlo Ancelotti, Craig Shakespeare, Maurizio Sarri and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as only the sixth Premier League manager to win his first five games at a club. The other name on that list is Guardiola, when he took over at City in 2016.
On the pitch there was real quality. Antoine Semenyo returned to form with two goals and an assist, Rayan Cherki delivered a delightful performance, and Enzo Fernandez scored his first goal for the club. Erling Haaland's late effort ticked Sunderland off his scoring list — he has now netted against all 25 Premier League teams he has faced.
Brobbey Exposes City's Control Problem
The concern is obvious. Before facing Sunderland, City had conceded just two goals in their first four Premier League games. On Sunday, they shipped three in 90 minutes, and Brian Brobbey ran captain Ruben Dias ragged all game. Brobbey's hat-trick made him just the sixth player to score a Premier League treble and lose, and Sunderland's expected goals of 4.25 was the most by any visiting side on record at the Etihad in a Premier League game. Regis le Bris' side could have scored more.
Maresca did not hide from it. Two of the three goals conceded were, in his words, too easy. The second came from a quick Granit Xhaka free-kick, which he said cannot happen; the third came from another free-kick."We concede more chances but we scored five, created [more] and could score two or three more," he said. Charlie Adam's analysis on BBC Radio 5 Live cut to the same point: City need to control spaces "instead of getting dragged everywhere man against man".
The upside is that City have now experienced several different kinds of game in this run. Maresca noted the Bournemouth match, where they were losing 1-0, and the game with 10 men, and now a chaotic eight-goal contest. He called the Sunderland game "complicated" and said all seven official games have been different. That variety is useful, but the control issue against Brobbey is the one that will travel with them to Anfield.
Talking points
- City have won five from five in the league, but conceding three and allowing 4.25 xG at home is a warning. Is this a sustainable title challenge?
- Maresca said he prefers 1-0 to 5-3. Should City fans be worried about his defensive priorities, or is the winning run the only thing that matters?
- Haaland has now scored against all 25 Premier League teams he has faced. Is there anything left for him to prove in this league?
- Liverpool away on 11 October is the real test. If City lose at Anfield, does the international break glow disappear?
What happens next
City return from the three-week international break with a trip to unbeaten Liverpool on Sunday, 11 October. Arsenal, meanwhile, have a break to digest their 3-0 defeat at Brighton. The stakes are clear: City have banked top spot, but Anfield will show whether Maresca's side can combine the scoring power with the control he admitted was missing against Sunderland.
Frequently asked questions
What was the score between Manchester City and Sunderland?
Manchester City beat Sunderland 5-3 at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.
How many points clear are Man City at the top?
City are three points clear at the top of the Premier League after Arsenal lost 3-0 at Brighton on Saturday.
Who scored a hat-trick in Man City vs Sunderland?
Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey scored a hat-trick and still ended up on the losing side.
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