Fernández Scores as Man City Beat Sunderland 5-3 in Eight-Goal Thriller to Go Top

Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a thrilling 5-3 victory over Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The victory moved City three points clear at the top of the Premier League table after five matches, with Enzo Maresca's side remaining the only team with a 100% league record heading into the international break. Enzo Fernández opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a cleverly taken free-kick for his first goal since joining Manchester City. Sunderland responded almost immediately through Brian Brobbey, who finished after a pass from Enzo Le Fée to make it 1-1. City regained the lead through Rayan Cherki before Brobbey struck again to level the contest. Antoine Semenyo then restored City's advantage shortly before half-time. Semenyo added his second goal in the 57th minute to put City 4-2 ahead, but Brobbey completed his hat-trick shortly afterwards to reduce the deficit to one. With Sunderland continuing to threaten, City finally secured the points when Erling Haaland scored in the 81st minute. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but VAR overturned the decision, allowing Haaland's strike to stand. It also meant the Norwegian had now scored against all 25 Premier League opponents he has faced. Despite scoring five goals, City conceded three times and faced sustained pressure from Sunderland. Reuters reported that Maresca remained concerned about his side's defensive vulnerabilities despite the victory. The result gives City five wins from five league matches and a three-point lead at the top going into the international break. Source/Verification: Manchester City, Reuters and Sky Sports reports on Manchester City 5–3 Sunderland, September 20, 2026.