Man City vs Sunderland

Eight goals at the Etihad Stadium. Brian Brobbey scored three for Sunderland and still ended up on the losing side. That is the most succinct summary of where Man City stand right now — and where the rest of the Premier League stands in relation to them.

City were in front inside nine minutes. Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring with a driven effort from the edge of the box. Sunderland responded, pulling it back before Rayan Cherki made it 2–1 in the 29th minute with a finish that had the Etihad on its feet. The French winger — who has been at City since last season — was electric from the first whistle, driving at Sunderland’s defence with pace and directness that they simply had no answer for.

Brobbey then did something remarkable. The Dutch forward, who arrived at Sunderland with big expectations and has quietly been delivering on them, scored twice before half-time to level the game at two goals apiece. The Etihad was briefly, uncomfortably tense. City had conceded two goals in the first half to a Sunderland side that had no right to be level. It was not supposed to look like this.

It did not look like that for long. City pulled ahead again before the hour, then extended their lead, and Erling Haaland sealed the 5–3 with a clinical finish in the 81st minute. Brobbey completed his hat-trick at some point in between — three goals for the visiting side and still not enough to take anything from a City team that simply had more in reserve. Every time Sunderland levelled, City had the response. Every time the game threatened to become dramatic, City reasserted control.

Enzo Maresca’s era is well and truly underway. City are top of the Premier League with 15 points from five games — a perfect record. Their attacking depth — Haaland, Fernandez, Cherki, Ndiaye, Anderson — is extraordinary. The squad has been reshaped significantly since last season, but the results show no signs of transition. battleSTAR Galáctico: Rayan Cherki — electric from first to last, his 29th-minute goal was one of the individual highlights of the matchweek. The most exciting player in the Premier League this season, by some distance.