Manchester City beat Sunderland 5-3 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, 20 September 2026, going into the international break three points clear at the top of the Premier League with five wins from five.
Enzo Fernández opened from a tight free-kick after nine minutes. Brian Brobbey levelled within three minutes, Rayan Cherki restored the lead, and Brobbey equalised again before Antoine Semenyo thundered City ahead for a third time before the break. City led 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 in the first half alone.
Semenyo’s brace, Brobbey’s hat-trick, Haaland’s late seal
Semenyo made it 4-2 early in the second half with a finish into the far corner. Brobbey completed a 33-minute hat-trick from Nilson Angulo’s cross to pull it back to 4-3, becoming the first Sunderland player to score a Premier League hat-trick since Jermain Defoe in 2016, and still ending on the losing side. Erling Haaland settled it late after Joško Gvardiol’s cut-back, his first against Sunderland and a goal against every Premier League side he has faced.
What the result means
City are the only side in England’s top four divisions still with a perfect league record. Enzo Maresca becomes only the sixth Premier League manager to win his first five games in charge at a club, joining predecessor Pep Guardiola on that short list. Arsenal’s 3-0 loss at Brighton on Saturday opened the door; City took it. Next up after the break is Liverpool away on Sunday, 11 October.
