Manchester City overcame a brief scare to secure a 4-1 victory against Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Erling Haaland was the star of the match, scoring a hat-trick, while Kevin De Bruyne also contributed a goal, helping Pep Guardiola’s squad maintain their flawless start to the season.
Ipswich stunned the home crowd by taking an early lead through Sammie Szmodics in the seventh minute, but City responded quickly. Haaland leveled the score with a penalty in the 12th minute, followed by De Bruyne’s goal two minutes later and Haaland’s second in the 16th minute, putting City in control.
City dominated the match, outshooting Ipswich 14-1, with a 3.15 expected goals (xG) to Ipswich’s 0.24, and controlling 74% of possession. As a result, Manchester City moved to six points in the Premier League, taking the top spot from Brighton, while Ipswich remained at the bottom with no points and a negative goal differential.
Despite their win over Chelsea the previous week, City missed Rodri in this match but welcomed Ilkay Gundogan back from injury in the second half, along with John Stones and Jack Grealish.
Ipswich faced defeat in their first two Premier League matches since their return after a 22-year absence, and their early goal was not enough to sustain momentum against a City team that quickly turned the tide.
The Etihad Stadium welcomed Ipswich Town, who had previously won their last two matches against City. However, despite their early success, City swiftly took command of the game.
Even with several key players like Phil Foden and Kyle Walker available on the bench, City still managed to dominate Ipswich. Rico Lewis hit the crossbar, and De Bruyne and Haaland both had additional opportunities to score.
Looking ahead, Manchester City will face West Ham next, while Ipswich Town will participate in League Cup action against AFC Wimbledon before hosting Fulham.
In the end, the match concluded with a score of 4-1, with Haaland’s performance marking the 23rd hat-trick of his young career.