Manchester City and Liverpool concluded Matchday 5 of the Premier League with contrasting victories: City survived a frantic fightback from Sunderland to win 5–3, while Liverpool relied on an Alexander Isak strike to edge Bournemouth 1–0.
City capitalized on Arsenal’s 3–0 collapse against Brighton to take sole possession of top spot in the Premier League with a perfect record heading into the international break, as Liverpool continued their steady ascent under Andoni Iraola.
Haaland Seals Thriller for City Against Sunderland
Enzo Fernández opened the scoring for City in the 9th minute, but Brian Brobbey responded swiftly. The two sides traded blows before the hosts surged ahead through goals from Rayan Cherki and a double from Antoine Semenyo, countered by a complete hat-trick from the Dutch striker past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Sunderland remained within touching distance of an equalizer after bringing the score to 4–3 in the 59th minute, but Erling Haaland struck a fifth goal in the 81st minute to secure Enzo Maresca’s side their fifth consecutive victory. The win lifted City to 15 points at the summit, three points clear of second-placed Arsenal.
Haaland’s goal carried historical significance: the Norwegian striker has now scored against every opponent he has faced in his Premier League career, with Sunderland having been the only team in the competition against whom he had previously failed to score.
Meanwhile, Brobbey became the first player to net a Premier League hat-trick against Manchester City since Jamie Vardy for Leicester City in September 2020. He also became just the sixth player to score a Premier League hat-trick for Sunderland, and the first since Jermain Defoe against Swansea City in January 2016.
Iraola Defeats Former Club Through Isak Winner
At Vitality Stadium, Iraola guided Liverpool to a vital victory over his former club Bournemouth following a tightly contested match where the Reds lacked attacking sharpness in the first half before Isak delivered when it mattered most.
The Swedish striker scored the game’s sole goal in the 57th minute off an assist from Florian Wirtz, bringing his tally to three Premier League goals this season and securing Liverpool’s second consecutive away victory following their previous win at Ipswich Town.
Liverpool elevated their tally to 9 points from two wins and three draws, entering the international break in sixth position and remaining unbeaten through five rounds, though sitting six points adrift of leaders Manchester City.
Post-International Break Schedules for City and Liverpool
Following the international break, Manchester City return to action against Liverpool at Anfield on October 11 in the Premier League, before hosting Paris Saint-Germain on October 14 in the UEFA Champions League and entertaining Ipswich Town on October 17.
Liverpool launch their return with the same showdown against City, before traveling to face Austria’s LASK in the Champions League on October 14 and visiting Brentford in the Premier League on October 17—a crucial week that could shape Iraola’s early ambitions with the Reds.
