Manchester City 5-3 Sunderland: result and report

Report

Manchester City won 5-3, as expected, but Sunderland made them work far harder for it than the scoreline suggests. City led four times and were pegged back three times before the game was finally settled.

How the goals came

Enzo Fernández put City ahead on nine minutes, yet Brian Brobbey equalised three minutes later from Enzo Le Fée's pass. Rayan Cherki restored the lead on 29 minutes from Antoine Semenyo's assist, though Brobbey levelled again four minutes later, set up by Thomas Meunier.

Semenyo then scored either side of half-time, on 43 and 57 minutes, to make it 4-2. Still, Brobbey completed his hat-trick two minutes later from Nilson Angulo's assist. Only Erling Haaland's goal on 81 minutes, created by Josko Gvardiol, finally made City safe.

Sunderland's chances against the scoreline

The underlying numbers flatter City despite the margin. Sunderland edged expected goals 2.79 to 2.57, had nine shots on target to City's six and created eight big chances to City's three. They also hit the woodwork twice, so three goals was, if anything, a modest return. Five of those big chances went begging.

Brobbey was named player of the match, even though he finished on the losing side.

Manchester City's finishing

City won because they made the most of what they created. They scored five times from six shots on target, while making four saves to Sunderland's one. They also had 55% of the ball and the higher sustained pressure across the afternoon, so this was not a side simply hanging on. The chances they conceded tell a less comfortable story.