Manchester City Survive an Eight-Goal Thriller to Beat Sunderland 5-3

Manchester City are five games into the season and still unbeaten, but Sunday's 5-3 win over Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium was nothing like the tidy, low-event victories that had got them there. Eight goals, three separate City leads inside the first half alone, and a Sunderland hat-trick from Brian Brobbey that still ended in defeat — this was as chaotic as a Premier League afternoon gets.

City lead three times before half-time

Enzo Fernández opened the scoring inside nine minutes, only for Brobbey to level three minutes later. Rayan Cherki restored City's lead on 29 minutes, and Brobbey drew Sunderland level again on 33. Antoine Semenyo then put City back in front right on the stroke of half-time, meaning the sides went in with City 3-2 up having traded the lead three times in a single half — the seventh time in Premier League history a team has led three separate times before the break in the same match.

Semenyo and Haaland see it through

The second half offered no let-up. Semenyo added his second on 57 minutes to make it 4-2, Brobbey completed his hat-trick two minutes later to pull Sunderland back within one, and it was not until Erling Haaland's goal on 81 minutes that the game was finally settled at 5-3. It was a fitting way for Haaland to complete a personal landmark: the goal meant he has now scored against all 25 different opponents he has faced in the Premier League.

"A very good team, strong, dangerous, but again we found a way to win the game. There were too many goals — I prefer to win 1-0, it's much better!"

— Enzo Maresca, Manchester City head coach

"We didn't compromise our identity. We're really proud to play our football, and we went toe to toe with one of the best sides in Europe."

— Régis Le Bris, Sunderland head coach

Brobbey's hat-trick, and a losing cause

There was little Sunderland could be ashamed of individually. Brobbey's three goals matched anything City's front line produced, and the visitors also had more shots on target than the home side. But conceding five at the Etihad, whatever the circumstances, does not change a table position: Sunderland arrived on the back of a run of one win, one draw and two defeats in their first four league games, and this loss extends the pattern of a side that can compete in flashes without turning it into points.

City's run stays perfect

For City, the result kept intact a run of five straight wins in all competitions — Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Coventry City and Porto in the Champions League, and now Sunderland — going into the international break unbeaten and level on points with Arsenal at the top after Mikel Arteta's side lost at Brighton the day before. City went into the round on 12 points from four games, level with Arsenal; Sunday's win takes them to 15 points from five, and with Arsenal already beaten this weekend, City go into the break with a strong claim on top spot once the round is settled.

Match stats

Goal timeline

Line-ups

Enzo Maresca's Manchester City XI:

• G. Donnarumma (GK)
• M. Nunes, R. Alves Dias (c), M. Guehi, J. Gvardiol
• E. Fernández, E. Anderson, I. Ndiaye
• M. Cherki, A. Semenyo, E. Haaland

Régis Le Bris's Sunderland XI:

• R. Roefs (GK)
• N. Mukiele, K. Danso, D. Ballard, D. Méthalie
• G. Xhaka (c), N. Sadiki, T. Meunier
• E. Le Fée, N. Angulo, B. Brobbey