Haaland Completes Premier League Checklist as City Outlast Sunderland

MANCHESTER, England — Erling Haaland scored against Sunderland on his third attempt, completing his scoring collection against every Premier League opponent he has faced and helping Manchester City secure a 5-3 victory at the Etihad Stadium. The result put City three points clear at the top of the table heading into the international break.

Haaland’s second-half goal was his 11th in his past 10 appearances across all competitions. It also ended his personal drought against Sunderland, while extending manager Enzo Maresca’s start to five consecutive league victories. Maresca became only the sixth manager in Premier League history to win his opening five matches in charge of a club.

City’s five straight wins also marked the fifth time in the club’s top-flight history that it has opened a league campaign with a 5-0-0 record. The previous instances came in 1912-13, 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2023-24.

The match began with £125 million signing Enzo Fernandez curling in a free-kick for his first goal for Manchester City. Sunderland answered through Dutch forward Brian Brobbey, who scored the first of two first-half equalizers after Rayan Cherki had restored City’s advantage.

Brobbey hit the crossbar with a chance to put Sunderland ahead before Antoine Semenyo restored Manchester City’s lead at 3-2 before halftime. Semenyo scored again in the second half to make it 4-2, but Brobbey completed his hat-trick and brought the Black Cats within one goal. Haaland then finished the scoring.

Maresca joined Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea, 2009), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City, 2016), Craig Shakespeare (Leicester City, 2017), Maurizio Sarri (Chelsea, 2018), and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United, 2019) as the only managers to win their first five Premier League matches at a club. Ancelotti, Guardiola, and Solskjaer hold the record with six consecutive wins.

Manchester City have now gone 15 Premier League home matches unbeaten against Sunderland, recording 13 wins and two draws. Sunderland’s last league victory away against City came in January 1998, when the teams were both competing in the second tier of English football.

Sunderland also remain without a win in their past 10 Premier League meetings with City, a run consisting of two draws and eight losses. Their last victory came in a 1-0 result at the Stadium of Light under manager Gus Poyet in November 2013. Sunderland’s winless streak in top-flight matches against teams that started the day in the top two positions reached 18 games, including four draws and 14 losses; their last such victory was against Chelsea in April 2014.

Across their past 30 Premier League matches dating back to Nov. 29 of last year, Manchester City have collected 68 points through 20 wins, eight draws, and two losses. Arsenal have also earned 68 points over that timeframe, the joint-most by any Premier League side.

Sunderland scored in a ninth consecutive Premier League away match despite the defeat. That is their longest top-flight away scoring streak since an eight-game run between November and February of the 2015-16 season, leaving them one match short of the club-record 10-game run set between April and October 1956.

Enzo Le Fee remained on six goals, six assists, and six converted penalties in his Premier League career. He is one of only two players in Premier League history with identical totals above one in all three categories, alongside former Coventry City and Birmingham City player Gary McSheffrey, who recorded three in each category.

Maresca made 10 changes to his starting lineup after a midweek victory over Norwich City. His only change from the previous weekend’s 1-0 derby win over Manchester United was required by Phil Foden’s suspension following a red card. Iliman Ndiaye replaced Foden, and Jeremy Doku was included in a Premier League squad for the first time this season after an injury break, taking a place on the bench.

The derby victory had been Manchester City’s 24th Premier League win after receiving a red card. Only Arsenal, with 38, and Manchester United, with 25, have more such wins in league history.

Sunderland made five changes after a midweek win over AZ Alkmaar. France Under-21 international Dayann Methalie made his first Premier League start at left-back in place of the suspended Reinildo. Thomas Meunier, Dan Ballard, Nilson Angulo, and Brobbey also entered the starting XI.

Romaine Mundle was unavailable for Sunderland because of a knee injury, while Habib Diarra missed out with a hamstring injury. Wilson Isidor, Omar Alderete, Trai Hume, and Malick Fofana moved to the bench.

**Manchester City:** Gianluigi Donnarumma, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi, Josko Gvardiol, Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez, Iliman Ndiaye, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo, Erling Haaland.

*Substitutes:* Geronimo Rulli, Mateo Kovacic, Jeremy Doku, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Nico O’Reilly, Allan, Abdukodir Khusanov, Rico Lewis.

**Sunderland:** Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele, Kevin Danso, Dan Ballard, Dayann Methalie, Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki, Thomas Meunier, Enzo Le Fee, Nilson Angulo, Brian Brobbey.

*Substitutes:* Melker Ellborg, Trai Hume, Luke O’Nien, Omar Alderete, Jules Ahoka, Chris Rigg, Chemsdine Talbi, Malick Fofana, Wilson Isidor.