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Manchester City maintain top spot after Sunderland win as Brobbey, Haaland make history in 8-goal thriller
20th September, 2026 06:14 PM
Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City maintained their flawless start to the league, edging Sunderland 5-3 in a sensational thriller at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, September 20, 2026.
The high-scoring encounter saw City fall on the right end of the scoreline, rendering a magnificent hat-trick from Brian Brobbey a mere consolation for the resilient Black Cats.
Goals galore at Etihad
A flurry of five first-half goals marked the first time this season a Premier League match had witnessed such a frantic opening period, as Antoine Semenyo also helped himself to a decisive brace.
Enzo Fernández grabbed his first goal in Manchester City colours just eight minutes in to put the hosts ahead, but the visitors struck back through Brian Brobbey three minutes later.
The Dutchman clearly foreshadowed the goal-galore encounter in store for the packed stands at the Etihad. Rayan Cherki then restored Enzo Maresca’s team back to the front, finishing clinically with a bottom corner strike from inside the box in the 28th minute.
However, Brobbey had other ideas once more, scoring his second of the game to pull Sunderland back level once again in the 38th minute.
City nevertheless had the final action at goal of the half, as Semenyo finished clinically after being teed up by Erling Haaland to secure a narrow 3-2 half-time lead.
The final half kicked off with a similar goal fest as City once again doubled their advantage through Semenyo. He latched onto an incisive pass through Sunderland’s centre-backs to fire a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Rúben Neves for his second goal of the match and City’s fourth overall.
Brobbey later reduced the deficit for a determined Sunderland side, finishing past Gianluigi Donnarumma to complete his sensational treble. Rúben Dias had various chances at goal later on, heading just wide from an Enzo Fernández free-kick before making a crucial goal-line clearance to keep City in the lead following a heavy touch at the back in the 70th minute.
Haaland makes history
Sunderland maintained intense pressure heading into the final ten minutes as City’s backline remained resolute under siege. The game’s most crucial moment arrived shortly after when Erling Haaland swept home from a Josko Gvardiol cross to put City 5-3 up.
The goal stemmed from substitute Jérémy Doku finding Gvardiol, who squared a low cross for the Norwegian hitman to net his fifth league goal of the campaign and a record-breaking goal of scoring against all Premier League teams he has faced.
Dan Ballard saw a late chance to set up a truly tense finish to the game, but his curling effort agonisingly came off the post in the third minute of added time.
Brobbey’s record
Brian Brobbey is the fourth player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick against the side starting the day on top of the table, after Robbie Fowler v Aston Villa in November 1998, Dirk Kuyt v Man Utd in March 2011, and Romelu Lukaku v Man Utd in May 2013.
