Manchester City are back on top of the Premier League, and they had to work for every inch of it. A 5-3 win over Sunderland at the Etihad on Sunday had all the ingredients of a classic — an early lead lost, a second lead lost, a hat-trick from the wrong end of the scoreline, and a late goal from the one man everybody expected to get it eventually. Brian Brobbey scored three. Sunderland still lost. That tells you everything about the afternoon.
- Manchester City beat Sunderland 5-3 in an eight-goal thriller at the Etihad, despite conceding a hat-trick.
- Brian Brobbey scored all three Sunderland goals but still ended up on the losing side — only the sixth player in Premier League history to do so.
- Erling Haaland’s late goal completed his set of scoring against all 25 Premier League clubs he’s faced.
- City moved to sole top spot after Arsenal’s loss at Brighton the day before, extending their perfect start to five wins from five.
- Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris marked his 100th match in charge, the first Sunderland boss to reach that milestone since Roy Keane.
How It Unfolded
Eight goals in one match is rare enough. Three different lead changes before half-time is rarer still, and that’s exactly what City fans got.
Enzo Fernández broke the deadlock after nine minutes, curling a free-kick in from a tight angle — his first goal since arriving at the club. Barely three minutes had passed before Sunderland were level, Brobbey taking a pass from Enzo Le Fée and finishing with the outside of his boot, almost casually.
City went ahead again through Rayan Cherki, only for Sunderland to hit straight back. Thomas Meunier squared for Brobbey, who slotted home his second without much fuss. Then, right on the stroke of half-time, Antoine Semenyo drove one in to make it 3-2 and send the home fans into the break buzzing.
Three separate leads in one half of football. It’s only happened seven times in the history of the Premier League, and not since Brentford did it against Wolves back in October 2024.
The second half didn’t slow down much either. Semenyo added his second just after the hour mark, pouncing when a deflected pass fell into his path. Two minutes after that, Brobbey completed his hat-trick — poking home after Nilson Angulo won a foot race with Gianluigi Donnarumma to a Granit Xhaka delivery. For a while it genuinely felt like anything could happen. Rúben Dias had to hack one off the line to stop Sunderland drawing level a third time.
Then, in the 81st minute, Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does. He turned in a low ball from Josko Gvardiol at the far post — flagged offside at first, overturned by VAR moments later — and that was that. Game over, nerves settled, three points banked.
Also Read: Premier League 2026/27 Fixture: Every Club’s Opening Weekend Match
Why It Matters
Before kickoff, City and Arsenal had been sitting level on points, both unbeaten. Then Arsenal lost at Brighton on Saturday, and the door swung open.
City didn’t need asking twice. Winning made it five from five in the league this season, and put them top of the table on their own for the first time this campaign. Starting a season with five straight wins isn’t something City manage often — it’s only happened four times before, back in 1912-13, 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2023-24. It also extends Enzo Maresca’s unbeaten run since taking over from Pep Guardiola over the summer, a start to life at the Etihad that’s gone about as smoothly as anyone at the club could have hoped for.
Brobbey’s Afternoon to Remember — For All the Wrong Reasons
Here’s the part that’ll sting Sunderland the most: their best player on the day still ended up on the losing side.
A few numbers put Brobbey’s performance into perspective:
- No Sunderland player had scored a Premier League hat-trick since Jermain Defoe managed it against Swansea in January 2016. Brobbey is the first in almost a decade.
- Only three players before him had ever scored a hat-trick against the side sitting top of the table at kickoff — Robbie Fowler in 1998, Dirk Kuyt in 2011, Romelu Lukaku in 2013. Brobbey now makes it four.
- Scoring a hat-trick and still losing the game is rarer still. It’s happened just six times in Premier League history. The last man to do it was Roque Santa Cruz, for Blackburn back in 2007.
Sunderland had never won a league game at the Etihad before Sunday. They still haven’t. But Brobbey came about as close as one player realistically can to changing that on his own, and there’s no shame in walking away from that performance with your head held high, even in defeat.
Also Read: Spain vs. Argentina: Five Decisive Battles That Could Shape the FIFA World Cup Final
Haaland Ticks the Last Box
There was exactly one Premier League club Erling Haaland had never scored against. Sunderland. Not anymore.
His finish in the 81st minute means he’s now found the net against every single opponent he’s faced in England’s top flight — all 25 of them. It’s a tidy little milestone on its own, but it mattered a lot more in the moment: that goal turned a shaky 4-3 scoreline into something City could actually relax and see out.
Le Bris Hits a Milestone of His Own
It wasn’t just City who had something to celebrate. Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris took charge of his 100th match in the job on Sunday — the first Sunderland boss to reach that number since Roy Keane. Losing 5-3 clearly wasn’t the outcome he was chasing, but the performance his side put in, built around Brobbey up top and Le Fée and Xhaka pulling strings behind him, will give Sunderland plenty to build on heading into their next few fixtures.
Match at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Final Score | Manchester City 5-3 Sunderland |
| Venue | Etihad Stadium, Manchester |
| Date | Sunday, 20 September 2026 (Premier League, Matchweek 5) |
| City Scorers | Enzo Fernández, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo (2), Erling Haaland |
| Sunderland Scorers | Brian Brobbey (3) |
| Table Impact | Manchester City move top alone after Arsenal lose at Brighton |
Also Read: The Messi, Ronaldo & Neymar Era: Why Football Will Never Be the Same
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score?
Ans: Man City won 5-3.
Who scored for City?
Ans: Enzo Fernández, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo (twice), and Erling Haaland.
Did Brobbey really score all three Sunderland goals?
Ans: Yes — a full hat-trick, and Sunderland’s first in the Premier League since Jermain Defoe back in January 2016. His team lost anyway.
Why does this result matter for the title race?
Ans: Arsenal dropped points at Brighton the day before. City’s win took them clear at the top, on their own, after weeks of sharing first place.
Has Haaland now scored against every Premier League team?
Ans: Yes. Sunderland was the last name left on the list, and he crossed it off on Sunday.
Sources & References
- Opta Analyst — “Manchester City 5-3 Sunderland Stats: Brobbey Hat-Trick Proves Fruitless in Eight-Goal Extravaganza”
- Opta Analyst — “25 out of 25: Erling Haaland Completes Premier League Collection With Goal Versus Sunderland”
- Manchester City (official) — Enzo Maresca pre-Sunderland press conference
- Manchester City (official) — Enzo Maresca press conference preview: Man City v Sunderland
Facts and stats drawn from Opta Analyst’s post-match report, with additional pre-match context from Manchester City’s official site and BeIN Sports.
