Manchester City Hold Off Ipswich in 3-2 Thriller to Maintain Perfect Start Under Enzo Maresca

Haaland’s Brace Leads City to Victory Despite Nervy Finish

Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the Premier League campaign with a hard fought 3-2 victory over promoted Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium, overcoming a late scare to secure three valuable points.

Phil Foden opened the scoring before Erling Haaland struck twice to lead City to their second consecutive league victory. However, a late penalty from Zian Flemming gave Ipswich renewed hope, forcing the hosts to withstand a tense finish before claiming the win.

The result extended City’s winning start under new manager Enzo Maresca and moved them six points clear of defending champions Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. It also marked their second successive league victory since the club was found guilty of serious breaches of the competition’s financial regulations last month.

Haaland continued his outstanding start to the season, taking his tally to 12 goals in all competitions. The Norwegian striker appeared to have completed his hat trick late in the match, but a VAR intervention ruled out the effort, leaving City to defend their narrow advantage through 12 minutes of added time.

Foden Breaks the Deadlock Before Ipswich Respond

City captain Rúben Dias tested Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton early, but the visitors initially managed to keep the hosts at bay. Foden eventually broke through in the 19th minute, marking his first appearance since receiving a red card against Manchester United at Old Trafford last month.

Jérémy Doku created the opening with an incisive run from the left before cutting inside and pulling the ball back into the penalty area. Foden collected the pass and finished from eight yards to give City the lead.

The advantage lasted only two minutes. Abdoul Ouattara released Daizen Maeda with a perfectly weighted pass down the right, allowing the Japanese forward to exploit the space behind City’s defense. Maeda outpaced and outmuscled England center back Marc Guéhi before calmly finishing past Gianluigi Donnarumma to bring Ipswich level.

Emersonn subsequently missed the target as Ipswich threatened again, but City regained control and restored their lead in the 34th minute. Mateo Kovacic reached the byline and delivered a pullback into the penalty area, where Haaland powered a header through Walton’s grasp to make it 2-1. Dias forced another save from Walton, while Haaland, Iliman Ndiaye and Doku all saw efforts blocked as City finished the first half strongly.

Haaland Doubles His Tally After the Break

City continued to press after the interval, with Nico O’Reilly coming close to extending the lead with a header from a corner. Haaland eventually delivered the decisive looking blow in the 69th minute. Ndiaye drove forward from deep before splitting the Ipswich defense with a perfectly timed pass into the striker’s path. Haaland evaded Ouattara, who lost his footing as the Norwegian moved past him, before calmly beating Walton to make it 3-1.

The goal appeared to put City firmly in control, but Haaland was denied what would have been his third goal of the afternoon. After an Ndiaye effort struck the crossbar, Haaland volleyed the rebound into the net. However, VAR ruled the goal out for offside against Enzo Fernández in the buildup, keeping Ipswich within reach.

VAR Penalty Sparks Late Ipswich Fightback

VAR soon intervened again, this time in Ipswich’s favor. Guéhi was adjudged to have fouled Abdul Fatawu inside the penalty area, prompting the referee to award the visitors a spot kick. Flemming stepped up and confidently converted the penalty, cutting City’s advantage to 3-2 and setting up a frantic finale at the Etihad Stadium.

Ipswich supporters found renewed belief when 12 minutes of added time were announced, while City suddenly faced the prospect of surrendering points after appearing to have the match under control.

Maresca’s side, however, held firm under pressure and managed to see out the remaining minutes to secure the victory. Haaland limped off at full-time, adding a note of concern for City despite the positive result.

City Maintain Momentum at the Top

Although the final minutes proved far more uncomfortable than expected, Manchester City did enough to preserve their perfect league record under Maresca and continue their strong start to the campaign.

Foden’s return to the scoresheet and Haaland’s brace provided the attacking quality City needed, while Ipswich demonstrated resilience by twice responding to setbacks and pushing the defending Premier League challengers until the final whistle.

City will take confidence from another three points, but the late penalty and disallowed hat trick served as reminders that even a seemingly comfortable advantage can quickly disappear in the Premier League. For Ipswich, the defeat was a frustrating outcome after a spirited performance, but their late rally showed they remain capable of troubling established top-flight sides.