Manchester City secured a 5-3 victory over Sunderland, maintaining their position at the top of the Premier League table. Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring for City after nine minutes with a free-kick, marking his first goal since transferring from Chelsea for £125 million.
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Sunderland quickly responded, as Enzo le Fee set up Brian Brobbey with an excellent pass, allowing Brobbey to slot the ball past City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Although Sunderland managed to keep pace, they were penalized for a defensive error that led to Rayan Cherki scoring City’s second goal.
Sunderland retaliated once again, with le Fee providing another assist to Thomas Meunier, who squared the ball to Brobbey for an easy finish. After a VAR review confirmed that the goal was legitimate, the match continued with both teams exchanging chances.
City regained the lead just before half-time via Antoine Semenyo’s shot after Sunderland struggled to clear a cross. In stoppage time, Erling Haaland missed an opportunity to extend City’s lead, shooting wide when unmarked.
The second half started more cautiously, but City extended their lead when a misdirected pass fell to Semenyo, who scored from outside the box. Sunderland answered quickly, with Granit Xhaka assisting Brobbey to complete his hat-trick.
City tried to regain control, but Donnarumma was tested by Sunderland's pressing. He nearly conceded another goal after misplaying a high ball, but Ruben Dias prevented disaster by clearing it off the line. Nine minutes from the end, Haaland scored what would be the decisive goal after converting a cross from Josko Gvardiol, despite an initial offside flag that was later overturned.
This match marked Haaland’s scoring against every Premier League team he has faced, while City heads into the international break with a 100% record.