Premier League match report: Manchester City 4-1 Ipswich Town

Sammie Szmodics' opener rocked the hosts, but they struck back with three goals in the space of four minutes as Erling Haaland's brace and Kevin De Bruyne's strike handed them all three points.

Unsurprisingly, Man City began to find spaces from the very start of the game, exploiting gaps behind Town’s wing-backs before cutting the ball back into the box. The visitors dealt with the first attack on their left side, but struggled more when Jeremy Doku played it over to Haaland, who claimed he was pulled back before Arijanet Muric got to the ball.

Sammie Szmodics first Premier League goal stunned Man City early on (Image: PA)

Up the other end of the pitch, Ipswich stunned the reigning champions with their first Premier League goal of the season. A quick counter saw Ben Johnson slide Szmodics through on goal, allowing the summer signing to take aim. Ederson got a touch, but the ball trickled off him and bobbled into the back of the net.

The away end erupted as the home side regrouped. It didn’t take long for them to equalise as Savinho burst down the left. Leif Davis stuck out a leg and brought him down, which referee Michael Salisbury initially saw as a dive. However, after a VAR check, a penalty was awarded and calmly dispatched by Erling Haaland in the 12th minute.

When Town conceded the first goal at home to Liverpool last weekend, there was a period where the floodgates threatened to open. They faced the same challenge here as Muric was caught on the ball. De Bruyne pounced, sliding the ball into an empty net to make it 2-1 on 14 minutes.

Erling Haaland equalised from the spot after a foul from Leif Davis on Savinho (Image: PA)

Not content with a one-goal lead, De Bruyne began to pull the strings from midfield. His lobbed ball picked out Haaland as Muric rushed off his line, allowing the towering striker to chip it into the back of the net to make it 3-1 after just 16 minutes.

Man City dominated possession, sitting on 73% as the clock ticked towards the half-hour mark. Rico Lewis cracked the crossbar from inside the box before De Bruyne fired at goal from distance, also smacking the woodwork. The Belgian tried his luck again just after the 30th minute, firing narrowly wide.

The hosts took their foot off the gas as an injury to Omari Hutchinson allowed Ipswich to have a breather. The Cityzens were, however, presented with a golden opportunity to get their fourth as Sam Morsy clattered Savinho on the edge of the box, picking up his first booking of the season. De Bruyne took the shot but fired straight into the wall.

Kevin De Bruyne put his side ahead before setting up Man City's third goal (Image: PA)

Town felt they should’ve had a penalty just before half time as a raking pass picked him out down the left. He cut inside before getting charged down by Savinho, but the referee waved play on and VAR opted against intervening in the decision.

Pep Guardiola’s men had one last chance before the break as Doku rushed down the left, cutting back for Haaland in the middle, who blasted over the crossbar.

The start of the second half was broken up by a plethora of fouls and injuries, with Szmodics joining his captain in the book alongside Man City's Ruben Dias. The match turned into quite an even battle, with Ipswich finding space to work forward on the counter despite struggling to maintain possession.

Arijanet Muric pulled off a stunning save midway through the second half (Image: PA)

When the Cityzens did work the ball into the box, they were always a nuisance. De Bruyne whipped a powerful pass onto the head of Haaland in the 65th minute, with Muric pulling off an athletic save to keep out the two-time Golden Boot winner.

There were moments where Ipswich really caused problems for the champions, such as the 76th minute, when they pushed forward in numbers. They had two or three opportunities to take aim and test Ederson, but neither Johnson nor Ben Johnson felt comfortable to do so. Substitute Jack Taylor did, but he missed the ball on the edge of the area.

Man City spent the final stages of the match camped in the final third as they looked for a fourth to kill off the game, which they did with two minutes remaining as Haaland bagged his hat-trick, firing a low shot into the net from outside the box - a moment of pure quality to wrap up the game.

Man City XI: 4-3-3: Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Silva, Kovacic (Stones 50'), De Bruyne (Nunes 90'); Savinho (Gundogan 71'), Haaland (McAtee 90'), Doku (Grealish 71')

Town XI: 3-4-2-1: Muric; Tuanzebe (Edmundson 90'), Woolfenden, Greaves; Johnson, Morsy, Luongo (Taylor 72'), Davis; Hutchinson (Chaplin 90'), Szmodics (Harness 72'); Delap (Al-Hamadi 83')