Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as Manchester City earned a resounding 4-1 triumph over Ipswich Town thanks largely to a barnstorming first-half blitz at the Etihad Stadium.
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Sam Szmodics sparked jubilant scenes in the away end on Saturday as Ipswich stole a surprise seventh-minute lead with a brilliant counter-attack.
But Haaland levelled from the spot just five minutes later and, after Kevin De Bruyne capitalised on Arijanet Muric's error, the striker had Pep Guardiola's men 3-1 in front with only 16 minutes on the clock.
Haaland ensured he would take home the match ball by lashing in Man City’s fourth in the closing stages but the damage was already done by that devastating four-minute goal spree.
Haaland's hat-trick v Ipswich
101 City appearances
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 24, 2024
10 hat-tricks
Running out of words to describe @ErlingHaaland 🤯 pic.twitter.com/p9QRWPWSh9
City have now made it two wins from two, while Ipswich will hope to get off the mark against Fulham next weekend.
How the match unfolded
Szmodics squeezing in the opener soon seemed a distant memory as City shellshocked the visitors.
Haaland coolly converted the leveller from the spot after Leif Davis felled Savinho and the tricky winger harassed Muric into an error for De Bruyne to roll into an unguarded goal.
De Bruyne then turned provider with an over-the-top ball that Haaland nodded past Muric and side-footed home.
Rico Lewis and De Bruyne both hammered the crossbar and City's No 9 volleyed over in search of a hat-trick.
Muric went some way to atoning for his earlier errors to prevent Haaland's thumping header from finding the top corner just after the hour.
But there was little he could do when Haaland celebrated a seventh career Premier League hat-trick with an excellent low drive into the bottom-right corner from 20 yards in the 88th minute.
Haaland the hat-trick hero as Savinho looks a big-time player
The fact Haaland loves to score goals is unlikely to make headline news but, while this might be only his third season, his standing as one of the all-time great Premier League strikers is indisputable already.
He was as clinical as ever to help City quickly recover from the early setback and his third goal was an effort of the absolute highest order in another display of lethal finishing.
Haaland was given a standing ovation when he exited late on, a reception only matched by the appearance of returning hero Ilkay Gundogan in the 71st minute.
Aside from Haaland, De Bruyne was at his mercurial best, while Mateo Kovacic knitted things together masterfully in midfield before an untimely injury early in the second half.
But a newer face also caught the eye in the form of Savinho, who joined from Girona earlier this summer.
The 20-year-old Brazilian was a constant menace and it was he who drew the foul that helped City restore parity after the early setback.
While Muric will undoubtedly be disappointed with his role in the second, Savinho deserves credit for not giving up the chase and forcing the opposition goalkeeper into a panic.
Harsh lessons for Ipswich
This fixture represented Ipswich's first visit to the Etihad and, like countless sides before them, they learned very quickly just how tough an assignment it is against this breathless City side.
Kieran McKenna has earned a reputation as a brave, front-foot head coach and that yielded rewards when Szmodics – making a first Premier League start – raced onto Ben Johnson's excellent pass and prodded through the legs of Ederson.
But the time it took the ball to trickle over the line felt longer than the time it took City to race into the lead, with Ipswich barely able to catch their breath.
And they were, at times, the architects of their own downfall. Davis did not really need to make his challenge on Savinho, albeit referee Sam Allison went over for a VAR check at the pitchside monitor before pointing to the spot.
Muric, a former City player, dithered for far too long to gift the hosts their second and you wonder whether he might have been better standing his ground for the third, too.
Much like in last week's opening-weekend loss to Liverpool, there were moments of encouragement for Ipswich – who saw claims for a penalty denied when Davis went down under Savinho's challenge before the break – but ultimately they remain without a point and under no illusions about the size of the task facing them.
Club reports
Man City report | Ipswich report
What the managers said
Pep Guardiola: "Haaland is so reliable on penalties. Assist for the second, fantastic for the third. Last season he struggled a lot, especially at the beginning. He felt tired and niggles most of the time. This time with the rest with no Euros he has arrived with a good vibe. The numbers are unbelievable."
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
11 | +15 | 28 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
11 | +9 | 23 |
| 3 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
11 | +8 | 19 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
11 | +6 | 19 |
| 5 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
11 | +5 | 19 |
| 6 |
Brighton
BHA
|
11 | +4 | 19 |
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Each of the first four shots in this game were scored – marking the first ever time that this has happened in a Premier League match (excluding own goals) on record (since 2006/07).
Man City manager Pep Guardiola has won 40 Premier League games against newly promoted sides, with only Arsene Wenger at Arsenal (92) and Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United (85) winning more such games with a single side in the competition.
De Bruyne has both scored and assisted in 26 Premier League games, the most of any Manchester City player in the competition. Meanwhile, only Mohamed Salah (31) has done so on more occasions since De Bruyne’s top-flight debut for Man City in September 2015.
In netting the opening goal, Szmodics became the first Ipswich player to score an away league goal against the reigning top-flight champions since Eric Gates at Liverpool in April 1984.