Enzo Maresca's Manchester City win chaotic 5-3 game against Sunderland

Manchester City continued their perfect start to the Premier League season with a chaotic 5-3 victory over Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The win, their seventh in a row across all competitions, saw them maintain a three-point lead at the top of the table with 15 points from five games.

New manager Enzo Maresca arrived with a reputation for methodical, possession-heavy football from his time at Leicester City. Yet his Manchester City side is carving out a different identity, one built on aggressive pressing and rapid attacks that is delivering goals and entertainment, if not always control.

A new philosophy

Maresca stated his tactical preference clearly after the game. "To be honest, I prefer to win 1-0 than 5-3," he said. However, he acknowledged that Sunderland's effective approach made it impossible to simply manage the game. The main instruction before kick-off was to "be ourselves" and be aggressive without the ball, trying to win it back as soon as possible and attack immediately.

This philosophy was evident in the build-up to City's second goal. A pressing trap set by Elliot Anderson, Rayan Cherki, Iliman Ndiaye and Josko Gvardiol won possession high up the pitch, leading to Rayan Cherki's finish. Antoine Semenyo, who scored twice, highlighted the emphasis on individual battles. "We knew if we won our duels we'd get the chance to score, so they were important today," he said.

Maresca is asking his wingers to take on defenders one-on-one and instructing his deeper players to fire passes directly to the forwards' feet. This represents a shift from the patient build-up play that defined his Leicester team, which was top of the Championship by 10 points in January 2024. He even threatened to walk away from that job due to fan dissatisfaction with his possession-based approach.

Squad built for duels

The summer transfer window saw City recruit players more suited to winning physical battles and covering ground than simply keeping the ball. Anderson and Enzo Fernandez were handed central roles in midfield, with Anderson proving himself an adept ball-winner. The 29th-minute opener against Sunderland came from Fernandez.

This new system leaves spaces, however. Fernandez and Cherki are not naturally inclined to cover the gaps left by Anderson's forays forward. This contributed to a shaky defensive display where Ruben Dias and Matheus Nunes struggled, and Brian Brobbey completed a hat-trick for the visitors. It was a contrast to the three or four clean sheets City had managed in a row just prior.

The game was eventually sealed by a classic City move, with Josko Gvardiol breaking beyond the defence to receive a through ball from Jeremy Doku before squaring for Erling Haaland to score in the 81st minute. Haaland now has five goals in five appearances this season, underlining his importance as the team's top scorer.

Maresca admitted he would have liked to "put the ball in the fridge" to see out the game in the manner of his predecessor Pep Guardiola. But the nature of the modern Premier League, which he described as increasingly demanding, often prevents such control.

The result follows a remarkable 10-0 win against Manchester United on September 13, achieved while playing with ten men. City's recent form shows five consecutive wins, including victories over Norwich, Manchester United, Porto and Coventry.

Sitting first with a perfect record, the immediate focus turns to a stern test after the international break. City travel to face Liverpool at Anfield on October 11. Liverpool currently sit sixth in the standings, a table you can explore on our standings page. The last meeting between the sides was a 4-2 win for City in September.

Further reading: nytimes.com