PREMIER LEAGUE
AFP|Published
Erling Haaland starred with a double as Premier League leaders Manchester City beat Ipswich 3–2, while Liverpool came from behind to seal a 2–1 win at Brentford on Saturday.
City are in turmoil off the pitch after being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules.
But on the grass, they have made a perfect start, with seven successive league victories marking their best opening to a Premier League season.
City, who are appealing against the guilty verdict after branding it a "Premier League conspiracy", sit six points clear of champions Arsenal.
Second-placed Arsenal can close the gap with a win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
With City potentially facing a massive points deduction or even expulsion from the top flight if their appeal fails, it remains to be seen whether their results will even matter by the end of the season.
But for now, Enzo Maresca's side are in fine form after bouncing back from their midweek loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
There was a defiant mood at the Etihad Stadium, where City fans booed the Premier League anthem before kick-off, while thousands waved inflatable bananas to underline their commitment to the club regardless of their current plight.
The toy bananas were taken to matches by City supporters to lighten the mood when the team was struggling during the late 1980s.
Chanting "you're down with the City" to their Ipswich counterparts, City's fans were in self-deprecating mood.
Phil Foden put Maresca's men ahead in the 19th minute with a sharp turn and finish after Jérémy Doku's incisive run prised open the Ipswich defence.
Foden's first goal this season was followed by an Ipswich equaliser in the 21st minute when Daizen Maeda evaded Marc Guéhi to fire home.
Haaland restored City's lead in the 34th minute with a pinpoint header from Mateo Kovačić's cross.
Haaland killed off Ipswich in the 69th minute, sprinting onto Iliman Ndiaye's pass and steering his shot past Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton.
It was the Norway striker's 12th goal in his last eight City appearances.
Zian Flemming's 90th-minute penalty, awarded for a foul by Guéhi, set up a tense finale, but City held on.
Liverpool revival
In west London, Liverpool were stunned when Brentford defender Keane Lewis-Potter looped a header past Alisson Becker from Igor Thiago's cross in the 44th minute.
But the Bees were reduced to 10 men in first-half stoppage time after Yehor Yarmolyuk's head made contact with Jérémie Jacquet's face while they waited for a corner.
Liverpool lost Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong to injuries, but still made their numerical advantage count in the 62nd minute.
Víctor Muñoz cut inside and slotted a composed equaliser past Brentford's former Liverpool keeper Caoimhn Kelleher.
Alexander Isak blasted Liverpool's winner in the 70th minute after Barcola teed up the Sweden striker for his fifth goal this term.
Brentford finished with nine men following Vitaly Janelt's second booking in stoppage time.
Beaten by City in their previous league game, Liverpool are up to fifth place after inflicting Brentford's first league defeat of the season.
Pedro Neto's double condemned Everton to a first defeat of the season as fourth-placed Chelsea won 2–0 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium despite the loss of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez to a head injury.
Neto opened the scoring inside the first minute of the second half and secured the points during stoppage time.
The Argentine international was involved in a sickening head clash with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and was taken to hospital.
Fulham won for the first time in the league this season as Alex Iwobi's 33rd-minute goal clinched a 1–0 victory against Hull at Craven Cottage.
Álvaro Arbeloa's side moved out of the relegation zone despite having Ryan Sessegnon sent off for a crude lunge on Robinho Vaz in the final minutes.
Newcastle host Aston Villa in Saturday's late game.
AFP