Manchester City seize top spot as Arsenal stumble in dramatic Premier League weekend

Manchester City moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League after taking full advantage of Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat by Brighton with a thrilling 5-3 victory over Sunderland.

The result extended Enzo Maresca’s side’s perfect start to the season and gave them a seventh consecutive win in all competitions. It also ensured Manchester City entered the three-week international break as the only team across England’s top four divisions with a 100% winning record.

Arsenal’s loss on Saturday created the opportunity. Victory against Sunderland would send Manchester City to the summit with a three-point advantage, although the match proved far more difficult than the final position in the table might suggest.

Maresca had described Sunderland as his team’s “toughest” test of the season so far, citing their aggressive pressing after losing possession, variety in attack and threat from set-pieces, as well as the presence of striker Brian Brobbey.

Manchester City eventually secured the points in an entertaining contest, with Antoine Semenyo scoring twice and setting up another goal. Rayan Cherki also impressed, while Enzo Fernandez scored his first goal for the club.

Erling Haaland completed the scoring by netting Manchester City’s fifth goal. Sunderland became the 25th team he has faced in the Premier League against whom he has scored.

The victory marked an important stage in Maresca’s time at Manchester City. The manager had faced strong criticism after August’s defeat by Arsenal in the Community Shield, but his team has responded with seven successive victories.

Maresca admitted afterwards that he would have preferred a 1-0 win to a 5-3 result, although he had expected a demanding encounter.

“I knew how strong they are. They are very aggressive when they lose the ball and have different weapons when they have possession, such as set-pieces and Brobbey,” he said.

He added that the team’s seven competitive matches had all presented different challenges, including playing with 10 men, falling 1-0 behind against Bournemouth before recovering, and dealing with Sunderland’s pressure. Those experiences, he said, offered opportunities for the players to learn and improve.

There were also defensive concerns. Manchester City had conceded only twice in their first four league games, but Sunderland scored three times at the Etihad Stadium.

Brobbey’s hat-trick made him only the sixth player in Premier League history to score three goals in a match and finish on the losing side. Sunderland also recorded an expected goals figure of 4.25, the highest by an away side in a Premier League match at the Etihad.

“I am always concerned and always trying to understand what we can improve,” Maresca said. “Certainly, two of the three goals we conceded were far too easy.”

He pointed to a quickly taken free-kick by Granit Xhaka for the second goal and a similar set-piece for the third.

Former Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam said Manchester City could not perform in the same way throughout an entire season, warning that their man-marking had left dangerous spaces.

Manchester City’s next major test comes against Liverpool on Sunday 11 October, when Maresca’s side will be asked to show whether it can control a game against a strong and well-organised opponent.