By Daily Review Online
Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Erling Haaland scored twice, while Phil Foden ended his lengthy goal drought as City secured their seventh consecutive league win to move six points clear at the top of the table.
Foden opened the scoring in the 19th minute, finishing a pass from Jeremy Doku with a low effort that beat Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton.
However, Ipswich responded almost immediately, with Daizen Maeda levelling the score in the 21st minute after exploiting a defensive lapse to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City regained the lead in the 34th minute when Mateo Kovacic delivered a cross for Haaland, who headed home from close range to make it 2-1.
The hosts continued to dominate possession and created further opportunities, but Ipswich remained competitive and threatened to make life difficult for the league leaders.
Haaland doubled City’s advantage in the 69th minute, calmly finishing after being played through by Iliman Ndiaye.
The Norwegian striker appeared to have completed his hat-trick late in the game, but the goal was ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for offside in the build-up.
Ipswich refused to give up and reduced the deficit in the 90th minute when Zian Flemming converted a penalty awarded after Marc Guehi made contact with Abdul Fatawu inside the box.
The late goal increased the tension, but City held on to claim all three points and preserve their 100 per cent record in the league.
Haaland’s brace took his season’s tally to 12 goals. He also became the fastest player in Premier League history to reach 100 non-penalty goals, underlining his importance to City’s title ambitions.
Foden’s opener was another significant moment, ending a 23-game run without a goal for the England international, whose last goal had come in December 2025.
Despite the victory, City manager Enzo Maresca expressed concern over possible injuries to several players, including Haaland, who limped down the tunnel after the final whistle.
Maresca, however, played down fears over the striker’s condition, saying Haaland had indicated that he was fine.
The City manager said the team had controlled the game and described their continued improvement as the most important factor.
Meanwhile, Ipswich manager Gary O’Neil expressed disappointment at the result but praised his players for their determination and ability to compete against the reigning heavyweights.
O’Neil said his side had hoped to take points from the encounter and believed their performance demonstrated that they could compete in the Premier League.
He identified the goal conceded before half-time as a particularly frustrating moment, adding that Ipswich needed greater quality in the final third to turn their performance into a positive result.
The victory strengthens Manchester City’s position at the top of the Premier League, while Ipswich will take encouragement from their spirited display despite leaving the Etihad Stadium empty-handed.