Haaland Double Helps City Make It Seven Straight Wins

Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City edged Ipswich Town 3-2 to record seven consecutive victories at the start of a Premier League season for the first time.

Phil Foden opened the scoring before Daizen Maeda quickly equalised, but Haaland’s double put Enzo Maresca’s side in command.

Zian Flemming’s late penalty set up a tense finish, although City held on to move six points clear at the summit.

The match was City’s first home league fixture since the club were found guilty of breaching the competition’s financial rules.

Having watched their team win at Liverpool in their first outing after the verdict, supporters made their feelings clear before kick-off at the Etihad Stadium.

They booed the Premier League anthem and waved inflatable bananas, continuing the revival of a terrace tradition from the 1980s.

City’s players again maintained their focus amid the uncertainty, becoming only the third club to win their opening seven Premier League matches, after Chelsea in 2005-06 and Liverpool in 2019-20.

Maresca also became the first manager to win his first seven games in charge of a club in the competition.

Foden gave the hosts the lead, but Ipswich responded just 155 seconds later.

Maeda got the better of Marc Guehi before calmly finishing to silence the home crowd.

Haaland restored City’s advantage before the interval and added his second after the break, finishing confidently after Iliman Ndiaye sent him through on goal.

The striker thought he had completed his hat-trick with an acrobatic effort, only for a narrow offside against Enzo Fernandez in the build-up to rule it out.

Ipswich refused to concede defeat and were rewarded in the 90th minute when Guehi fouled Abdul Fatawu inside the area.

Flemming converted emphatically from the spot, leaving City to negotiate 12 minutes of stoppage time before securing victory.

Record start comes with injury worries

City last won their opening seven league matches in 1897-98, when they were playing in the second tier.

Matching that achievement 129 years later represents an impressive start to Maresca’s tenure.

The manager has urged his players to concentrate on football while the club appeal against the verdict concerning 114 financial-rule breaches between 2009 and 2018.

Their performances continue to reflect that message.

Foden’s first league goal since December offered further encouragement, while teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi impressed with his composure.

However, injuries threatened to overshadow the result.

Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes were both forced off, while Haaland and substitute Antoine Semenyo appeared to be struggling in the closing stages.

With City having used all their substitutions, Haaland remained on the pitch despite his discomfort before heading straight down the tunnel at full-time.

His two goals took his league tally to eight for the campaign.

Ipswich show resolve despite defeat

Ipswich travelled to Manchester with three wins from their opening six matches, making a promising start to their return to the top flight.

Those victories had come against opponents likely to feature in the bottom half, providing valuable points in their pursuit of survival.

Gary O’Neil’s side could take encouragement from another competitive display, following their win over Fulham and ahead of important fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Hull City.

Although City registered 19 attempts at Christian Walton’s goal, Ipswich stayed organised and continued to threaten.

Emersonn and Flemming had significant second-half opportunities, while several tight offside decisions frustrated O’Neil.

Flemming’s penalty ensured the visitors remained a threat deep into added time, forcing City to work until the final whistle for their record-setting victory.