There is a weapon in the Manchester City arsenal that their rivals do not have
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There is a weapon in the Manchester City arsenal that their rivals do not have

Manchester City had to lean on their attack to beat Sunderland 5-3 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Antoine Semenyo bagged a brace and Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Enzo Fernandez also got themselves on the scoresheet to help Enzo Maresca’s side win their seventh consecutive match in all competitions and move three points clear at the top of the Premier League table. There were areas of concern in City’s performance against Sunderland, especially at the back. However, a weapon that City have that their rivals seemingly do not was on full display at the Etihad.

The Manchester City attack fired them to victory against Sunderland.

Manchester City got themselves into a fight with Sunderland on Sunday. With Brian Brobbey in imposing form both in front of goal and with his hold up play and physicality, Enzo Maresca’s side had to lean on their attacking arsenal to pick up all three points. Fortunately, City have quality in all aspects of the final third and that carried them through a tough match.

Enzo Fernandez scored Manchester City’s first goal in the 9th minute with a clever and brilliant free kick. The Argentinian midfielder beat Robin Roefs at his near post with a superb piece of improvisation from the right-hand side. From there, Brian Brobbey would equalise three minutes later. Manchester City had to lean into the magic of their French maverick to retake the lead.

Rayan Cherki would make it 2-1 to Manchester City in the 29th minute. Cherki seized on a heavy touch from Antoine Semenyo and used his sublime footwork to create an opening to shoot from near the penalty spot. Cherki beat Robin Roefs with a quality finish, however Brian Brobbey would make it 2-2 four minutes later. That would set the scene for Antoine Semenyo to make an impact.

Antoine Semenyo would bag a brace when he scored in the 43rd and 57th minutes. Semenyo’s goals came from smart finishes which have become his trademark. City needed Semenyo’s goals to keep Sunderland at bay. The Ghana international obliged and it seemed at 4-2 that Enzo Maresca’s side had wrapt up all three points in the 57th minute. However, Brian Brobbey would make it 4-3 in the 59th minute as Sunderland just would not go away.

Erling Haaland put the finishing touches on Manchester City’s 5-3 win over Sunderland in the 81st minute. Jeremy Doku played in Josko Gvardiol on the left and the Croatian international played a beautiful low cross across the penalty area for Haaland to tap in at the back post. It was a typical City goal and they needed it to clinch victory against Sunderland. Come the final whistle, City had scored five goals and they had all come in a different manner. Each goal showed the strength of the Manchester City attack.

Enzo Maresca is blessed to have a wide variety of attacking options to throw at the opposition.

Manchester City have a wide variety of attacking options in their squad. Up front, City have the world’s best striker in Erling Haaland. On the wings, City can use Antoine Semenyo, Iliman Ndiaye, Jeremy Doku, Allan, Phil Foden or Ryan McAidoo. There is almost a winger for any occasion in the City squad. Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly can all play the number ten role in different fashions. Enzo Fernandez offers another attacking option with his guile and runs from midfield.

Josko Gvardiol, Nico O’Reilly, and Matheus Nunes also offer an attacking threat from the full-back positions. The pair are weapons in the final third in their own right. Josko Gvardiol in particular has shown that so far this season.

Manchester City have a wealth of quality attacking options. Compared to their rivals in the Premier League, it is hard to see which one of City’s rivals can match their attacking options. Manchester City’s attack carried them to three points against Sunderland and it may well be the ace in the pack that Enzo Maresca has to unleash like we saw on Sunday.

Goals win matches and City can score them in a variety of ways from a host of players. Sunderland played well at the Etihad Stadium however they couldn’t match City’s finishing power. As the 2026-27 season takes shape, perhaps this is a weapon that tilts any match in Manchester City’s favour.

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Tags Antoine Semenyo English Premier League Enzo Fernandez Enzo Maresca Erling Haaland Etihad Stadium Iliman Ndiaye Jeremy Doku Manchester City Rayan Cherki Sunderland

4 Comments

  1. You know Adam I don’t know which was the quickest piece of thinking. Was it Cherki who manipulated the defenders movements before hitting the ball in the opposite direction from which he “conned” the defenders to react or was it Fernandez free kick which I suspect may have been pre rehearsed. The way that everyone, including the crowd, assumed he was going to centre the ball into the midst of the tusselling mob in front of goal. His initial approach was side on until he dropped his shoulder at the last second, opened his chest to almost side foot into the top corner. Spontaneous or practiced??

    1. Praticed is my guess with Enzo Fernandez, but the decision would’ve been made judging by Roefs positioning. It was a great free kick.

      Cherki is mesmerising. At times he can be frustrating but his ability to make the game seemingly stand still always has me shaking my head.

      1. I noticed on MOTD that Joe Hart likened him to David Silva with his ability to make opposition defenders move about to his will although I think Cherki is a better finisher than El Magico.

      2. Oh and I agree with you that Fernandez goal was rehearsed which shows the extra degree of attention given by Maresca and his team. We know of course, that we may not be able to try that trick again, not for a while, but it will now sow the seeds of doubt in opposition goalkeepers and get them caught in 2 minds.

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