Manchester City beat Ipswich Town 3-2 to ensure Enzo Maresca became the first manager to win their first seven Premier League matches in charge of a club.
A Phil Foden effort and Erling Haaland brace were enough to ensure City stay top of the table with a 100% record and write Maresca’s name in the history books.
Daizen Maeda had briefly pulled a well-drilled Ipswich side level and cancel out Foden’s early first-time finish, while Zian Flemming’s late penalty set up a nervy finish at the Etihad.
But City did enough to grab a historic seventh Premier League win in a row, also equalling our best-ever winning start to a campaign from 1897/98 in the process.
The match in brief
City set the tone at the Etihad from the get-go, but early chances were few and far between aside from a thunderous Rúben Dias strike being punched away by Christian Walton.
The Blues took a deserved lead soon after that chance, though, when Foden – featuring for the first time since seeing red in the Manchester derby – tapped home a Jérémy Doku cutback, ghosting in to meet the Belgian’s pass with a smart finish.
But Ipswich responded when Maeda raced onto a ball in behind, shrugged off the attentions of Marc Guéhi and found the bottom corner around the 20-minute mark.
After a brief scare from a venomous Emersonn drive, City retook our lead with half-time approaching when Haaland pounced after clever work from Mateo Kovačić down the right flank.
The Norwegian then added his second and City’s third midway through the second half, outmuscling Abdoul Ouattara to get on the end of Iliman Ndiaye’s pass and fire home.
City had opportunities to grab a fourth, with Enzo Fernández thwarted in a one-on-one and Ndiaye hitting the crossbar, all before Haaland was denied a hat-trick by the offside flag.
There would be time for one more goal, but it’d fall to the visitors when Flemming converted a penalty after Guéhi had caught Abdul Fatawu.
It did little to dampen the mood though, as City and Maresca made history with a seventh win in seven Premier League games.
Teams
City XI: Donnarumma, Nunes (Khusanov 76’), Dias (C), Guéhi, O’Reilly (Gvardiol 61’), Bouaddi, Kovačić (Fernández 50’), Ndiae, Foden (Anderson 77’), Doku (Semenyo 77’), Haaland
Subs: Rulli, Cherki, Aït-Nouri, Allan
Ipswich XI: Walton, Ouattara, O’Shea (C), Diop, Greaves (Clarke 90’+2’), Davis, Florentino (Matusiwa 71’), Palacios, Enciso (Akpom 78’), Maeda (Fatawu 71’), Emersonn (Flemming 78’)
Subs: Scherpen, Furlong, Kipre, Philogene
Star Man
Phil Foden stepped up to the plate on his return to the starting XI, opening the scoring with a typical smart run into the area and first-time finish.
Our number 47 was front-footed and positive in possession despite Ipswich’s resolute defensive lines and also put in plenty of defensive work for Maresca’s men.
What it Means
City stay top of the Premier League table with a 100% record after seven matches.
Arsenal can cut that gap back down to three points if they beat Nottingham Forest this weekend.
What’s Next
It’s a quick turnaround for Maresca’s men, with a UEFA Champions League clash against AEK Athens on the horizon on Tuesday 20 October.
Kick-off at the Etihad Stadium is set for 20:00 (UK), as we look to get back to winning ways in Europe in our third League Phase encounter.
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