Video: after a goal fest, Manchester City accept Arsenal's gift and take sole lead of the Premier League

Manchester City edged a Sunderland side full of fight in a breathless 5-3 win at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening, in the fifth round of the English Premier League.

City's perfect start rolls on. A fifth win from five games takes them to 15 points and clear at the top of the table.

The Sky Blues cashed in on Arsenal's stumble. A shock 3-0 defeat at Brighton left the door open, and City walked through it to sit alone at the summit.

Goals flew in at both ends. Both sides traded blows across the 90 minutes, with the outcome in doubt right up to the final whistle.

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إنزو فيرنانديز يضع السيتي في المقدمة#الدوري_الإنجليزي pic.twitter.com/5CXTPtNHNc — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) September 20, 2026

Enzo Fernández opened the scoring for Manchester City in the ninth minute, but Sunderland hit straight back through striker Brian Brobbey in the 12th.

Rayan Cherki restored City's lead in the 29th minute. Brobbey, in scintillating form, levelled again with his second in the 33rd.

Just before the interval, Antoine Semenyo nudged City back in front in the 43rd minute, sending the Sky Blues in 3-2 ahead at the break.

سندرلاند يدرك التعادل سريعًا أمام السيتي#الدوري_الإنجليزي pic.twitter.com/JLA7QS8BJ0 — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) September 20, 2026

The goals kept coming after the restart. Semenyo grabbed his second and City's fourth in the 57th minute, only for Brobbey to complete his hat-trick and pull Sunderland back to 4-3 in the 59th.

Erling Haaland had the final word. The Norwegian settled it with a fifth in the 81st minute, sealing a 5-3 win and three more points in the race for top spot.

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ريان شرقي يعيد التقدم للسيتي#الدوري_الإنجليزي⁩ pic.twitter.com/AXmLteM6zI — beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) September 20, 2026

Brobbey enters Sunderland history

Defeat could not spoil Brobbey's afternoon in the record books. Statistics network "Squawka" reported that he became only the sixth player in Sunderland's history to score a hat-trick in a Premier League match, and the first to do so since Jermain Defoe in January 2016.

The milestones did not end there. Statistics network "Opta" revealed that Brobbey became the fourth player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick against a team that began the match top of the table.

Three others got there before him. Robbie Fowler scored a hat-trick against Aston Villa in November 1998, Dirk Kuyt did the same against Manchester United in March 2011, and Romelu Lukaku repeated the trick against Manchester United in May 2013.

All that, and no reward. Brobbey's treble counted for nothing on the scoreboard as City settled the match, extending their flawless start and tightening their grip on the summit.

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