Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City beat Ipswich Town 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to maintain their perfect start to the Premier League season.
Phil Foden also scored for City, who have now won all seven of their opening league matches. The victory took Enzo Maresca’s side six points clear at the top of the table.
City became only the third team in Premier League history to win their first seven matches of a season, following Chelsea in 2005-06 and Liverpool in 2019-20.
Maresca also became the first manager to win his first seven Premier League matches in charge of a club.
The hosts took the lead in the 19th minute when Foden scored from a pass by Jeremy Doku. It was the England midfielder’s first league goal since December.
However, Ipswich responded just two minutes later. Daizen Maeda beat Marc Guehi before finishing past the City goalkeeper to make it 1-1.
Haaland restored City’s lead in the 34th minute after Mateo Kovacic set him up. The Norwegian striker made no mistake as City went into half-time with a 2-1 advantage.
Ipswich continued to fight after the break and refused to let City take complete control. However, Haaland struck again in the 69th minute. Iliman Ndiaye played him through, and the striker calmly finished to give City a two-goal lead.
Haaland thought he had completed his hat-trick later in the match with an impressive finish. However, the referee ruled out the goal for offside against Enzo Fernandez during the buildup.
Ipswich reduced the deficit in the 90th minute when Zian Flemming converted a penalty after Guehi fouled Abdul Fatawu inside the box.
The visitors pushed for an equaliser during 12 minutes of added time, but City held on to secure another victory.
The result also marked City’s best start to a league season in 129 years. They last won their opening seven league matches in the 1897-98 season, when they played in the second division.
Haaland has now scored eight Premier League goals this season and has found the net in six consecutive league appearances.
City suffered several injury concerns during the match.
Kovacic and Matheus Nunes both left the pitch with injuries, while Haaland and substitute Antoine Semenyo appeared to struggle with knocks towards the end.
Haaland went straight down the tunnel after the final whistle. The victory came during a difficult period for City, who are appealing against a ruling that found them guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the club, Maresca’s team have continued to deliver results on the pitch.
Ipswich, meanwhile, suffered their third defeat in seven league matches but showed plenty of fight against the leaders.
Gary O’Neil’s side have won three of their opening seven matches and will look to return to winning ways in their upcoming fixtures.
