Manchester City beat Sunderland 5-3 in an eight-goal thriller at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, September 20, to stay top of the Premier League and take a three-point lead into the international break. Enzo Fernández (9′), Rayan Cherki (29′), Antoine Semenyo (43′ and 57′) and Erling Haaland (81′) scored for Enzo Maresca’s side, who have now won five league games in a row.
Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey scored a hat-trick (12′, 33′, 59′) and still ended on the losing side. City led three separate times in the first half alone, only the seventh time that has happened in a Premier League match, and Brobbey became the first player since Roque Santa Cruz in 2007 to score a hat-trick in a Premier League defeat. Haaland’s late fifth means he has now scored against all 25 top-flight opponents he has faced. “I prefer to win 1-0 than 5-3,” Maresca said afterwards.
At the Vitality Stadium, Alexander Isak’s 57th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Andoni Iraola’s first return to his former club as Liverpool manager. Cody Gakpo’s work down the right created the chance, and Alisson made key saves in both halves to preserve a clean sheet. Isak has four league goals in five appearances this season, already more than he managed in the whole of last season, and the win lifts Liverpool to sixth. Bournemouth remain winless in the league under Marco Rose and sit 17th.
Fulham and Manchester United drew 1-1 at Craven Cottage, where a Lisandro Martínez own goal (63′) put the hosts ahead before Matheus Cunha equalised in the 89th minute. Leeds United and Crystal Palace played out a 0-0 draw at Elland Road.
The Premier League now pauses for the September international break, with City’s three-point advantage over Arsenal at the top after the champions’ 3-0 defeat at Brighton on Saturday.
