Manchester City maintained their perfect Premier League start with a dramatic 5-3 victory over Sunderland, emerging from an eight-goal contest that repeatedly threatened to swing back towards the visitors.

Antoine Semenyo scored twice for City, while Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki were also among the scorers. Enzo Fernandez registered his first goal for the club. Sunderland refused to disappear from the contest, with Brian Brobbey scoring a hat-trick.

City survive an eight-goal test

The final score reflected a match in which attacking quality repeatedly overcame defensive control. City ultimately found five goals, enough to protect their flawless league record, but Sunderland's three-goal response ensured the leaders could never treat the result as secure.

Semenyo's two-goal contribution was central to the home side's victory. Haaland and Cherki also added to City's total, while Fernandez marked the match with his first goal for the club.

Brobbey hat-trick keeps Sunderland fighting

Sunderland's resistance was led by Brobbey, whose hat-trick gave the visitors repeated hope of changing the outcome. Scoring three times away to the league leaders would ordinarily put a team in a strong position to take something from a match, but City's attacking output proved even greater.

The contrast made for an unusual Premier League scoreline: one player finished with three goals for the losing team, while City's scoring was spread across several attacking threats.

Perfect Premier League start continues

The victory kept Manchester City's 100 per cent league start intact and ensured they remained top heading into the international break. At this stage of the season, the points are more important than the imperfections in the performance, although conceding three times at home will give the coaching staff defensive details to examine.

City's ability to keep finding goals whenever Sunderland applied pressure was ultimately decisive. Rather than shutting the contest down, the leaders repeatedly responded through their own attacking depth.

What the result means

For City, another three points extend a powerful opening run and preserve early momentum at the top of the table. The range of scorers also underlined the number of attacking routes available to the side.

Sunderland leave without points but with evidence that they can threaten elite opposition. Brobbey's hat-trick was the standout individual performance for the visitors even though it was not enough to change the result.

Key takeaways

  • Manchester City beat Sunderland 5-3 in the Premier League.
  • Antoine Semenyo scored twice for City.
  • Brian Brobbey scored all three Sunderland goals.
  • Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Enzo Fernandez also scored for City.
  • The win maintained Manchester City's perfect league start and kept them top before the international break.

Eight goals, a hat-trick for the losing side and another victory for the leaders made this one of the most eventful matches of the Premier League weekend.