Man City wins 8-goal thriller against Sunderland to move clear at top of Premier League

Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo reacts after scoring third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Sunderland in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.

Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo reacts after scoring third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Sunderland in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)


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MANCHESTER, England — No Pep Guardiola. No problem.

Not yet anyway for Manchester City after moving clear at the top of the Premier League on Sunday with a 5-3 win over Sunderland.

New coach Enzo Maresca extended his perfect winning start to the season to five games and goes into the international break three points ahead of defending champion Arsenal in second place.

But that doesn't tell half the story of a chaotic match at the Etihad Stadium that saw City twice squander the lead and Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey outshine Erling Haaland with a hat trick.

Eventually it was Haaland who ended the visitors' brave fight with City's fifth goal in the 81st minute.

Alexander Isak scored his fourth goal of the season as Liverpool beat Bournemouth 1-0, and Leeds drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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See AP's full soccer coverage here

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