Manchester City 3 (Phil Foden 19′, Erling Haaland 34, 69′)
Ipswich Town 2 (Daizen Maeda 21, Zian Flemming 90′ (P))
Here are my observations and match report as Manchester City X today against Ipswich Town.
Ahead of today’s match Enzo Maresca floated the idea that he will need to rotate his squad due to the heavy workload on his players. He did exactly that today. Maresca made six changes to the starting lineup that began Manchester City’s loss to PSG. Abdukodir Khusanov, Elliot Anderson, Rayan Cherki, Enzo Fernandez, Antoine Semenyo and Josko Gvardiol all dropped to the bench, which was a wise move considering City play AEK Athens on Tuesday night. Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Phil Foden, Iliman Ndiaye and Nico O’Reilly all started today’s match in their place.
First half.
Amidst a sea of bananas, today’s match kicked off. The defiance of the Manchester City fans in the face of an unprecedented storm set the atmosphere for today’s match. The Premier League anthem was greeted with a chorus of boos, which says it all. Hopefully, the City players matched the fans’ enthusiasm as the game got underway.
Manchester City made a bright start in the game’s opening five minutes. Enzo Maresca’s side were dominating possession and the clear plan of Ipswich Town was to remain tight at the back and be tough to break down. Manchester City’s first chance of the game came in the fifth minute. Phil Foden played in a teasing free kick from the right which Ruben Dias got on the end of. However, Dias’ tame header was easily gathered by Ipswich Town keeper Christian Walton.
After 14 minutes, the pattern of the game was set. Manchester City were dominant in possession and Ipswich Town were stubborn defensively. It was prominent to see Ayyoub Bouaddi dropping in between Ruben Dias and Marc Guehi when City had possession, which allowed Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes the opportunity to get forward when City had possession. As the game ticked into the 15th minute, there were no significant chances created by either side.
Ruben Dias would unleash a rocket of a strike on goal in the 17th minute. Phil Foden won possession in midfield which gave City the opportunity to attack. The ball was played to the left where Jeremy Doku received possession and held the ball up. He eventually squared the ball to Dias who unleashed a thunderbolt of a strike on goal which Christian Walton saved.
Phil Foden fires Manchester City into the lead as Enzo Maresca’s side get on their way.
Manchester City would take the lead in the 19th minute. Jeremy Doku received possession on the left wing and he took his time before picking out the perfect pass for Foden to fire home from close range. The goal was Foden’s first Premier League goal since December of last year and Enzo Maresca’s side thoroughly deserved their lead.
However, Manchester City’s lead wouldn’t last as Ipswich Town equalised two minutes later.
Ipswich Town would equalise two minutes after Phil Foden’s goal. Abdul Ouattara picked up a long ball on the right and slipped in a ball in behind the City defence. Marc Guehi played Ipswich Town winger Daizen Maeda onside and got himself into a terrible defensive position before being outbodied by Maeda. Maeda got into the City area and beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a quality low left-footed finish to make it 1-1. In truth, Guehi’s effort was poor and gave Maeda way too much time and space to score. It was a poor goal for City to concede but it also showed that Ipswich Town were up for today’s match.
After both team’s have their moments, Erling Haaland restores Manchester City’s lead.
Both teams would have their moments up until the 34th minute. Ipswich Town striker Emmerson fired a long-range effort wide in the 29th minute before Erling Haaland saw a shot blocked in the 33rd minute after being played through by Phil Foden.
Erling Haaland headed Manchester City back into the lead in the 34th minute. A well-worked City move saw Mateo Kovacic receive possession on the right-hand side of the penalty area. Kovacic worked himself into a great position and put in a very good cross from the right after a well constructed City move. Erling Haaland got his header on target from Kovacic’s cross, which Christian Walton saved, but he couldn’t prevent the ball hitting the back of the net.
Following Haaland’s goal, Enzo Maresca’s side upped the ante. There was more intensity and intent to City’s possession play, however up until the 43rd minute, City were crowded out by the Ipswich Town defence. Ruben Dias unleashed another thunderbolt from 25 yards out, which was saved by Christian Walton as City tried to gain a more comfortable position in the match.
Enzo Maresca’s side would take a 2-1 lead into the interval. Ipswich Town created a set-piece opportunity to close out the second half, which the City defence easily dealt with. Manchester City deserved their halftime lead but the game far from over at the interval.
Observations from Manchester City’s first half display.
Enzo Maresca’s side dominated large portions of the first half. Jeremy Doku was a constant attacking threat on the left and a lot of City’s better moves came down the left-hand side. Iliman Ndiaye was working hard on the right wing, which was also pleasing to see. In midfield, having Bouaddi on the pitch allowed Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic to take up dangerous attacking positions in midfield. Foden grabbed a goal and Kovacic an assist, which showed how dangerous the pair had been.
Despite the positives, Ipswich Town were not out of the game at halftime. Gary O’Neil’s side have made a habit of coming on late in matches, so the challenge for Enzo Maresca’s side was to keep the foot down after halftime.
Second half.
The second half kicked off and following an Ipswich Town corner, Mateo Kovacic went down injured. He was replaced by Enzo Fernandez in the 50th minute. That was a real shame for Kovacic, who had played really well up before injury struck.
In the first 10 minutes of the second half, Ipswich Town upped their intensity. Gary O’Neil’s side were pressing City well and Enzo Maresca’s side were struggling to get out. Also, Ipswich Town were a threat in possession and an Emmerson header which went wide in the 54th minute was their best chance after halftime. In response, City had a corner in the 56th minute which Nico O’Reilly headed inches wide with the goal at his mercy.
As the game ticked into the 65th minute, there was no flow to the proceedings. Ipswich Town had succeeded in making the game become scrappy, which suited Gary O’Neil’s side. Enzo Maresca’s side weren’t enjoying the control they had in the first half and were having to scrap and fight.
Erling Haaland gives City breathing space with a superb finish after a great ball from Iliman Ndiaye.
Manchester City took a 3-1 lead in the 69th minute. Ipswich Town midfielder Exequiel Palacios attempted a cross-field pass which was intercepted on the right-hand side. Iliman Ndiaye broke into space on the right and played a great through ball to Erling Haaland. Haaland overpowered Abdoul Ouattara and beat Christian Walton with a superb and composed left-footed finish from inside the penalty area to give City breathing space.
A major concern emerged for Manchester City in the 75th minute. Matheus Nunes went down injured and received treatment on the pitch. He was replaced by Abdukodir Khusanov and the condition of Nunes could well be the major story to come out of today’s match.
Erling Haaland is denied a hat trick by an offside decision on Enzo Fernandez.
It did seem that Erling Haaland had completed his hat trick in the 85th minute. Haaland was played in and he squared the ball for Enzo Fernandez. Fernandez saw a shot saved by Christian Walton, which saw City create another opportunity. The ball was played to Iliman Ndiaye, who controlled the ball superbly and turned and fired a shot from four yards out into the crossbar. The ball ricocheted out wide to Enzo Fernandez who crossed the ball to the back post for Haaland to beat Walton with a great volley. However, Enzo Fernandez was offside when Iliman Ndiaye shot and the goal was ruled out.
A poor day for Marc Guehi gets worse as he hands Ipswich Town a lifeline.
Ipswich Town were given a lifeline in the 90th minute. Marc Guehi fouled Ipswich Town winger Abdul Fatawu on the right-hand side of the City penalty area. Initially, the referee waved play on. However, the play was halted for a VAR check. The referee on field decision was overturned and a penalty was awarded. Ipswich Town striker Zian Flemming powerfully struck his penalty down the middle to make it 3-2 and the game was on once again.
Iliman Ndiaye would flash a shot from the edge of the penalty area just wide in the 5th minute of 12 minutes of second-half stoppage time. Erling Haaland held the ball up well on the edge of the area before Ndiaye picked up possession and curled a low left-footed strike inches wide of the far post.
As the game ticked over the 100-minute mark, Ipswich Town were pushing for an equalizer. In essence, City were down to ten men as Antoine Semenyo was clearly hobbled by injury. Enzo Maresca’s side were fighting once again, which is becoming their trademark.
In the end, Manchester City held on to pick up all three points. Ipswich Town never gave up the fight and made City fight for all three points. Perhaps the biggest talking point of the match was that Erling Haaland hobbled down the tunnel with what looked to be a foot injury.
Thoughts on Manchester City’s overall performance in their 3-2 win over Ipswich Town.
Enzo Maresca’s side made it seven consecutive wins to start their Premier League campaign with their 3-2 win over Ipswich Town today. City had to fight and claw their way to victory in the game’s closing stages. The performance from City was good for the most part, however two glaring errors from Marc Guehi did offer Ipswich Town hope. City did lose control of the match in the second half and that remains an area of City’s play which must improve.
In the end, City picked up another three points which is all that matters. However, injuries to Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes, Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland are Manchester City’s biggest concern right now. City player AEK Athens on Tuesday night and all four players will be in doubt for that match.