Manchester City made it seven wins from seven in the Premier League with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town at the Etihad on Saturday. It was not their most fluent performance, but the result keeps them top of the table on a perfect 21 points.
A test of character
Ipswich arrived with nothing to lose and made City work for every inch. The Tractor Boys had beaten Fulham 2-1 the previous weekend with two late goals, and they showed the same fighting spirit here. City needed composure in the closing stages to see the game out, and they found it.
Coming just days after a 4-2 Champions League defeat to PSG at the same stadium, the win mattered. Champions are often defined by how they respond to setbacks, and City responded by grinding out three points.
Haaland sets the pace
Erling Haaland is once again the league’s leading scorer with eight goals. His opener in the 3-0 win at Anfield on 11 October was a reminder of his ruthlessness, and he continues to be the reference point for everything City do in the final third.
City by the numbers
- Record: Played 7, Won 7
- Points: 21, top of the Premier League
- Top scorer: Erling Haaland, 8 league goals
- Biggest statement: 3-0 win at Liverpool
- Highest-scoring game of the season so far: City 5-3 Sunderland
Maresca’s big summer pays off
City backed manager Enzo Maresca with the biggest single-window spend in Premier League history, including the signing of Enzo Fernandez for a reported 125 million pounds, the joint-most expensive deal the league has seen. The early returns suggest the investment has been well spent, with a squad that looks deeper and hungrier than last season.
Next up
The schedule does not get easier. City host AEK Athens in the Champions League on Tuesday before travelling to Aston Villa on Saturday, 24 October, at 2:30pm EAT. Villa have found their form in the last month, making that one of the fixtures of the weekend.