Haaland’s scoring run propels Man City to seventh straight Premier League win
Erling Haaland’s goal‑scoring spree continued on Saturday as Manchester City beat Ips Ipswich Town 3‑2 at the Etihad, giving the club its seventh consecutive league victory. The win made City only the third side to start a Premier League season with seven straight triumphs. Haaland added two more goals, taking his tally to eight for a campaign that has been shadowed by a major financial controversy.
The match was marked by fans waving inflatable bananas, a nostalgic nod to the 1980s when supporters used the quirky prop to lift spirits during difficult periods for the club. The crowd also booed the Premier League anthem before kickoff. City manager Enzo Maresca said the ongoing legal saga has brought the squad together. “The fans, the club, the players, we are all together in this journey,” he said. He noted that chants such as “Going down with the City” echoed through the stadium as the team extended its league lead to six points.
Haaland, who suffered a knock to his foot late in the game, appeared untroubled. “We will see,” Maresca said. “I asked him and he said he was OK, so hopefully it is nothing serious.” Substitute Antoine Semenyo left the field with a more serious injury, according to the manager.
The Norwegian striker also set a new Premier League record, becoming the fastest player to reach 100 non‑penalty goals, achieving the milestone in 139 matches.
Maresca, who took over from Pep Guardiola in the off‑season, became the first manager to win his first seven Premier League games in charge. “I didn’t expect to win seven out of seven,” he admitted, “but we are working well.” The only other clubs to start a season with seven straight wins are Chelsea in 2005 and Liverpool in 2019, both of which later captured the title.
Elsewhere in the league, Liverpool recovered from a 1‑0 deficit to beat nine‑man Brentford 2‑1, though they lost two more players to injury during a congested fixture run. Brentford’s Keane Lewis‑Potter opened the scoring in the 44th minute, but a red card for midfielder Yehor Yarmoliuk at the end of first‑half stoppage time gave Liverpool a numerical advantage. Victor Munoz and Alexander Isak, who had just returned from an injury on international duty with Sweden, scored after the break, handing Brentford their first league defeat of the season. Vitaly Janelt received a second yellow card in stoppage time and was sent off. Liverpool also saw Dominik Szoboszlai and substitute Jeremie Frimpong leave the field injured; manager Andoni Iraola confirmed that Szoboszlai’s problem was a recurrence of the hamstring issue he suffered while playing for Hungary.
In the north, 21‑year‑old Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi scored his third goal in four games to secure a 1‑0 win for Aston Villa over Newcastle United at St James’ Park. Manzambi, who had been linked with Newcastle in the off‑season, now appears to be thriving at Villa.
Fulham earned their first league victory of the season by beating Hull City 1‑0, with Alex Iwobi finding the net in the 33rd minute. The win lifted the London club off the bottom of the table and eased pressure on manager Alvaro Arbeloa, the former Real Madrid assistant who arrived in the summer.