Three goals in less than four minutes helped Manchester City beat promoted Ipswich Town 4-1 in the Premier League on Saturday, roaring back from a shock start at Etihad Stadium.
Erling Haaland netted a hat-trick and Kevin De Bruyne also scored as City stayed perfect in their quest for a fifth consecutive league title and Ipswich remained without a point.
Sammie Szmodics fired Ipswich to a surprise lead in the seventh minute when Ben Johnson sent him in behind City’s defence, and Ederson mishandled his shot which rolled into the net. The visitors’ goal fired up City who netted three times in 191 seconds, sparked by Haaland’s penalty in the 12th minute.
De Bruyne capitalised on an error by keeper Arijanet Muric to put City ahead and Haaland grabbed his second when De Bruyne chipped a ball over the top and the big Norwegian beat Muric to it.
The crossbar spared Ipswich more first-half blushes as Rico Lewis and De Bruyne smashed shots off the woodwork in quick succession.
Haaland completed his hat-trick with a rocket from just outside the 18-yard box in
the 88th minute, the goal-scoring machine’s fourth of the young season.
City, who had 76 per cent possession, squandered numerous chances with 13 shots to just one for Ipswich, and had the league newcomers penned in their own end for much of the afternoon.
City fans welcomed second-half substitution Ilkay Gundogan back to Etihad
with a loud ovation, his first game for Pep Guardiola’s team since 2023.
Guardiola’s team had kicked off their quest for another title with a 2-0 win at Chelsea last weekend.
United’s late-goal bug
Manchester United must find a way to focus until the full-time whistle and stop conceding late goals, manager Erik ten Hag said after Brighton & Hove Albion scored in added time in a 2-1 win.
United conceded two soft goals at the Amex where Brighton striker Danny Welbeck scored against his former club before an unmarked Joao Pedro scored the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Once a team renowned for scoring late goals in the Premier League, United have now lost six times since the 2022-23 season thanks to goals scored in or after the 90th minute — more than any other side.
“We have good potential but we have to keep going until the end. We concede a goal in stoppage time,” Ten Hag told the BBC.
“The game is finished when the referee whistles three times. That is what we did not do well, so we have to improve that game management.”