Manchester city survive eight goal thriller against Sunderland to stay perfect

Enzo Maresca joked he prefers low scoring wins after his side edged past Sunderland in a chaotic match.

Written by the BettingEdgeHub desk, 20 September 2026

Manchester City kept their brilliant start to the season going with a wild victory over Sunderland. Enzo Maresca saw his team win five out of five matches to move clear at the top of the table. Punters backing the title favourites had a nervous afternoon during the eight goal clash.

Defensive worries for punters

Brian Brobbey scored three goals for the visitors as they kept fighting back. City leaked soft goals and manager Maresca admitted he wants much tighter defending in future fixtures. Bettors looking at clean sheet markets will want to take note of these defensive lapses.

Star turn from Semenyo

Antoine Semenyo put in a brilliant display by scoring twice and setting up another goal for his teammates. The forward said a strong half time team talk from the manager helped them win crucial duels after the break. This kind of form makes City short priced favourites for every match they play.

Title race heating up

The victory puts the league leaders three points clear of Arsenal at the summit. Bookmakers continue to shorten the odds on City claiming another trophy under their current manager. Every win makes it harder for chasing teams to close the gap in the outright markets.

What it means for a bet

Backing Manchester City to win matches while both teams score could be a profitable angle moving forward.

Carry on from here

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