Man (Sham) City vs Ipswich Town

Man City are seven games in, seven games won, twenty-one points. On the pitch, they are relentless. Off it, they are Sham City. The 114 guilty charges overshadow everything they do on the pitch — should they even be here? Do these games even matter? Enzo Maresca's side arrived at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon, in their first home Premier League game after the verdict, expecting a routine three points against a newly promoted side learning what the top flight asks of them. It was not routine.

Phil Foden opened the scoring at 19' after a 10-month drought during which he had seemed a shadow of his previous self. His celebration was a combination of relief, joy, and a stubborn belief that his boyhood club was a hundred percent innocent. Ipswich's Daichi Maeda pulled one back at 21', making the crowd nervous — at least for a little bit. In the 34th minute, the inevitable Haaland made it 2–1, and he added another at 69' to make it three-one. Finally seemed like smooth sailing. But Ipswich did not accept defeat lying down — they kept at it, and were finally rewarded with a 90th-minute penalty that Zak Flemming converted. Three-two. Final whistle. City's supporters left with heart rates they had not expected to experience in this fixture.

Ipswich scored twice at the Etihad. Against the best team in the Premier League. In a season where they are supposed to be fighting for survival. Kieran McKenna's side refused to stop playing, refused to accept the gap in quality as a reason not to compete. They leave with nothing except pride — and two goals against the champions — which is not nothing.

Maresca will note the defensive fragility. City should not be conceding twice to Ipswich Town. They should not be making a 3–1 scoreline precarious. But they are seven from seven, three points ahead of Arsenal, and still haven't dropped a point. On the pitch, City remain the standard. What happens off it remains the great unresolved question of English football.