Manchester City made it seven wins from seven in the Premier League with a 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town at the Etihad — and in doing so, handed manager Enzo Maresca a slice of history. No manager has ever won his first seven Premier League matches in charge of a club.
Erling Haaland celebrates his brace against Ipswich (Credits: BBC Sport)
Haaland At His Relentless Best
Phil Foden fired City ahead early with a first-time finish, only for Daizen Maeda to level almost immediately. Erling Haaland then took over, heading home from Mateo Kovacic’s cross to restore the lead before the break, and stroking in a second from Iliman Ndiaye’s pass in the second half. His brace took his seasonal tally to 12 goals, and he reached 100 non-penalty Premier League goals faster than any player in history — in just 139 appearances, shattering Alan Shearer’s previous mark of 150. A late VAR call even denied him a hat-trick.
Maresca Rewrites The Record Books
The win was far from comfortable. Zian Flemming’s 90th-minute penalty set up a nervy finish, and City had to survive 12 minutes of added time to protect their perfect start. But they did enough, moving six points clear at the top on 21 points. Maresca’s seven straight wins also matched City’s best-ever winning start to a season, dating back to 1897/98, and made City only the third club in the Premier League era to open with seven victories.
The record is even more remarkable given the week City have had — bouncing back from a Champions League loss to PSG to grind out this result while battling injury concerns, with Haaland himself hobbled at full-time. If this is what City’s record machine looks like while not at its best, the rest of the league should be worried.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
