Maresca's perfect start: City capitalise on Arsenal slip with 5-3 win

WHAT HAPPENED
Manchester City moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League after a 5-3 victory over Sunderland on Sunday, following Arsenal's 3-0 defeat by Brighton the day before. The result left City as the only side across England's top four divisions with a 100% winning record remaining.

Maresca's start and reaction
Enzo Maresca has overseen seven straight wins in all competitions since replacing Pep Guardiola in the summer. Before the Sunderland game he described it as his side's "toughest" test of the season so far, and afterwards said: "To be honest, I prefer to win 1-0 than 5-3 but I expected a very difficult game... I am happy because we found a way to win the game."

City's run also puts Maresca among a short list of managers who won their first five Premier League games in charge at a club. The source lists Carlo Ancelotti, Craig Shakespeare, Maurizio Sarri, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Pep Guardiola as the others.

Match details and individual highlights
Antoine Semenyo scored twice and provided an assist, Rayan Cherki drew praise for a "delightful" performance, and Enzo Fernández scored his first goal for the club. Erling Haaland's late strike completed his record of having scored against all 25 Premier League teams he has faced. Sunderland's Brian Brobbey scored a Premier League hat-trick but finished on the losing side — becoming the sixth player to achieve that feat.

Concerns and statistics
City had conceded only two goals in their first four Premier League games but shipped three at the Etihad on Sunday. Maresca warned he is "always concerned" and added that "two of the three goals we conceded were too easy." Sunderland produced an expected goals (xG) of 4.25 — reported as the highest xG by any visiting side at the Etihad in a Premier League match.

Context and reaction
The result came after a Community Shield defeat to Arsenal in August that put early pressure on Maresca. Former Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam described City's form as a "brilliant start to the season" while noting there is "a lot to work on".

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
City will resume after the three-week international break with a trip to unbeaten Liverpool, scheduled for Sunday, 11 October.