Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City defeated Ipswich Town 3-2 on Saturday to maintain their perfect start to the Premier League season, while Liverpool recovered from a goal down to secure a 2-1 victory at Brentford.
City’s seventh consecutive league win marked their best opening to a Premier League campaign. They moved six points clear of champions Arsenal, who could reduce the gap with a victory against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
The result came amid uncertainty surrounding City’s legal battle over more than 100 alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations. The club is appealing a guilty verdict and has described the case as a “Premier League conspiracy”.
City could face significant sporting sanctions if their appeal fails, although the eventual outcome remains uncertain.
Haaland Leads City to Another Victory
A defiant atmosphere greeted City at the Etihad Stadium, where supporters booed the Premier League anthem before kick-off. Thousands also waved inflatable bananas in a show of support for the club.
Luis Diaz Hat-Trick Fires Bayern Munich to 6-1 Rout of Leipzig
Phil Foden opened the scoring in the 19th minute, turning sharply before finishing after Jeremy Doku’s attacking run created space in the Ipswich defence.
Ipswich responded two minutes later when Daizen Maeda escaped Marc Guehi and fired home the equaliser.
Haaland restored City’s advantage in the 34th minute, heading Mateo Kovacic’s cross precisely into the net.
The Norwegian striker struck again in the 69th minute, racing onto Iliman Ndiaye’s pass before guiding his finish beyond Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton.
Zian Flemming converted a penalty in the 90th minute after Guehi committed a foul, setting up a tense finish. City nevertheless held on to claim all three points.
“Very happy with today’s game, we controlled it for 95 minutes. We create chances, we score. We finish a little bit suffering together but overall, it is good,” Maresca said.
Liverpool Complete Comeback at Brentford
Liverpool produced a second-half comeback to beat Brentford 2-1 in west London, ending the hosts’ unbeaten start to their league campaign.
Brentford took the lead in the 44th minute when defender Keane Lewis-Potter looped a header past Alisson Becker from Igor Thiago’s cross.
The hosts then lost Yehor Yarmolyuk to a red card in first-half stoppage time after his head made contact with Jeremy Jacquet’s face while the players waited for a corner.
Liverpool also suffered injury setbacks, losing Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong. However, they took advantage of their numerical superiority after the interval.
Victor Munoz equalised in the 62nd minute, cutting inside before calmly finishing past former Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Alexander Isak completed the turnaround in the 70th minute, blasting home after Barcola set up the Sweden international for his fifth goal of the season.
Brentford finished with nine players after Vitaly Janelt received a second booking in stoppage time.
Liverpool, who had lost to City in their previous league match, climbed to fifth place with the victory.
“You see the results of Brentford at home and you have to be ready for these kinds of battles. We had 45 minutes to do the comeback and I think we played really well,” Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola said.
Chelsea Beat Everton as Martinez Is Injured
Pedro Neto scored twice as Chelsea defeated Everton 2-0 at Hill Dickinson Stadium, handing the hosts their first defeat of the season.
Neto opened the scoring within the first minute of the second half before adding his second goal in stoppage time.
The victory came at a cost for Chelsea, however, as goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez suffered a head injury following a collision with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. The Argentine was taken to hospital for assessment.
Chelsea remained fourth in the standings following the win.
Fulham Claim First League Victory
Fulham secured their first Premier League victory of the season by beating Hull City 1-0 at Craven Cottage.
Alex Iwobi scored the decisive goal in the 33rd minute to give Fulham a much-needed boost after a difficult start to their campaign.
Villa Defeat Newcastle in Manzambi Reunion
Aston Villa beat Newcastle United 1-0 away from home, with Johan Manzambi scoring the only goal.
The Villa winger headed home Joao Gomes’s cross in the 33rd minute, dealing a blow to Newcastle after the club had agreed a summer deal with Freiburg for the player before Villa intervened.
The result added to Newcastle’s frustration as Villa secured an important away victory.
City’s continued winning run strengthened their position at the top of the table, while Liverpool’s comeback provided a timely response after their previous defeat. With Arsenal still to play, the battle for the early-season lead remains open.
