Haaland completes Premier League scoring sweep as Man City beat Sunderland
Erling Haaland’s 81st-minute goal stood after a VAR check as Manchester City beat Sunderland 5-3 on Sunday, completing a remarkable personal sweep for the Norwegian. Sunderland had been the only Premier League opponent Haaland had faced for City without conceding to him.
Haaland reaches another Premier League landmark
The initial offside call against Haaland was overturned, allowing his late finish to become the final goal in an eight-goal contest. It was his 117th Premier League strike and his fifth of the new campaign.
- Haaland has now scored against each of the 25 clubs he has played against in the league for City.
- He had failed to score in both previous meetings with Sunderland last season.
- The forward moves to the top of the early Golden Boot race, one ahead of Alexander Isak.
- Isak had scored Liverpool’s weekend winner against Bournemouth.
City survive Brobbey hat-trick
Enzo Fernandez, Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo, who struck twice, had put City in front before Haaland sealed the result. But Sunderland made the league leaders work throughout a wild afternoon, with Brian Brobbey scoring all three of the visitors’ goals.
Brobbey became the first player to hit a Premier League hat-trick against City in six years, since Jamie Vardy managed it. His treble was also Sunderland’s first in the top flight since Jermain Defoe achieved the feat 10 years ago.
- Brobbey is only the fourth player to score three times against the side that began the day first in the Premier League.
- Robbie Fowler, Dirk Kuyt and Romelu Lukaku are the other members of that group.
- He is also the first player to score a Premier League hat-trick in a losing effort since Roque Santa Cruz did so for Blackburn against Wigan in December 2007.
Maresca makes it five from five
The victory preserved City’s perfect opening to the season and gave Enzo Maresca five wins from his first five league matches in charge.
Maresca is the sixth manager to begin a Premier League tenure at a club with five straight victories. Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola, Craig Shakespeare, Maurizio Sarri and Ole Gunnar Solskjær had previously done it.
City now move on to their next domestic fixtures looking to extend that unblemished run, with Haaland already setting the scoring pace.
