| Manchester City 4 v 1 Ipswich Town FA Premier League Saturday, 24th August 2024 Kick-off 15:00 |  |
Manchester City 4-1 Ipswich Town - Match Report Saturday, 24th Aug 2024 17:09 Erling Haaland netted a hat-trick as Manchester City came from behind to beat the Blues 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium, as Town fell to back-to-back league defeats under Kieran McKenna for the first time. Sammie Szmodics gave the Blues a shock lead in the seventh minute but the Premier League champions hit back only five minutes later as they scored three goals in 191 seconds - Haaland two, one penalty, and Kevin De Bruyne - with the Norwegian completing his treble two minutes from time. Ex-City youngster Aro Muric was handed his Town debut, replacing Christian Walton in goal, the former Brighton man having deputised against Liverpool last week due to the Kosovo international having suffered a calf injury. Ben Johnson came in for his full debut for Wes Burns, who has a hamstring injury, wide on the right but in a more defensive role than the Welshman, while Szmodics came in for Conor Chaplin, who was on the bench, in the centre of the three behind lone striker, former City youngster Liam Delap, the recent addition from Blackburn’s full debut. New signing Jens Cajuste was on the bench, as was Manchester City fan and one-time trialist George Edmundson. City were unchanged from the team which won 2-0 at Chelsea last week with Phil Foden not in the squad due to illness, while Rodri remains absent having suffered a hamstring during the Euros. Returning midfielder Ilkay Gundogan was on the bench. Just prior to kick-off, there was a change of official with fourth official Sam Allison taking over from Michael Salisbury, who had picked up an injury. The game got under way in warm sunshine, following a downpour earlier in the afternoon, and as expected City quickly began to dominate the ball. They created their first chance in the third minute, Josko Gvardiol cutting back from the left and Muric diving at full length to palm it out of the path of Haaland, the Norwegian claiming he’d been fouled by Jacob Greaves behind him but with referee Allison not interested. Contrary to the script, the Blues took the lead with their first attack of the game in the seventh minute. Omari Hutchinson brought the ball forward, cut inside and fed Johnson, who played in Szmodics, whose low shot just about squirmed under Ederson and had enough power to make it over the line. Szmodics, who took his season’s tally to four for the Blues and Rovers, became the first Town player to score in the Premier League since Darren Bent in the 1-0 home win against Middlesbrough in April 2002. But five minutes later, City were awarded a penalty after Leif Davis tripped Savinho on the right of the box as the winger looked to go past him. Referee Allison initially waved away the protests but after a VAR check awarded the kick. Haaland sent the ball to Muric’s right as the keeper dived in the other direction. And in the 14th minute, two minutes after levelling, the home side went in front. Muric took too long on the ball on the edge of the box and was dispossessed by Savinho. It ran loose and City skipper De Bruyne stroked into the empty net ahead of Haaland. But last season’s 27-goal Premier League top scorer wasn’t to be denied his second of the game, however, and a further two minutes later he made it 3-1. De Bruyne played a superb ball over the top into the left channel, Muric came unconvincingly and was beaten to it by Haaland, who took it by him to the left, then found the net from a tight angle. After the flurry of goals, Town regained their composure and the game settled back into the pattern of the first couple of minutes with City dominating possession and probing for openings. As with the second goal, Town, when they had possession in their defensive third, were struggling to pass their way through the City press. The Premier League champions should have added to their lead in the 18th minute when Rico Lewis hammered against the bar with the goal gaping, the ball bouncing down and away off the line, Jeremy Doku having cut back from the left and Haaland having left it. Within a minute, City had hit the woodwork again, De Bruyne unleashing a 25-yard effort which clanged off the bar with Muric motionless. As the game passed the half hour, following a corner, De Bruyne hit a low effort just wide of Muric’s left post. The City attacks continued to come in waves and on 33 Haaland flicked a header from a right-sided cross beyond the far post. Three minutes later, skipper Sam Morsy was shown his first Premier League yellow card for bringing down the hugely impressive Savinho not far outside the area. Town lined up the wall with draught excluder Davis and Haaland exchanging views at length before De Bruyne smashed it into the wall, much to Town’s relief. On 42, following the first spell of Blues possession since the goals. Davis cut inside from the left and went past Rico Lewis and then Savinho, who seemed to send the left-back crashing. It looked a penalty but both referee Allison and VAR showed no interest. In the third of five additional minutes, Doku was played in on the left of the area and cut back to Haaland, who turned over the bar from the near post. That was the last chance of an entertaining half which had got off to the perfect start for the Blues with Szmodics’s confidently taken goal. The penalty almost immediately afterwards killed any momentum Town might have gained from the lead, and that and then Muric’s error for the second handed the impetus firmly to the home side and the Blues seemed a touch shell-shocked as Haaland made it 3-1. From there, Town reset themselves and defended in three banks as City dominated and prodded, probed and made darting runs in behind and prevented further goals, although with the woodwork also playing a part. The Blues will also feel aggrieved at not having been awarded a penalty with Davis appearing to have been fouled by his tormentor-in-chief Savinho towards the end of the half. The game stopped almost as soon as it had started with Mateo Kovacic receiving treatment for a knock and John Stones eventually replacing him. On 55, Szmodics was booked for clipping Lewis’s heels not far inside the Town half with the second period having been scrappy up to now. Just before the hour mark, Ruben Dias had his name taken for catching Szmodics with an arm as the forward cut inside him. From the free-kick, Town won their first corner, on the left, but Johnson hit the first defender. The second half had been chance free but in the 64th minute, Haaland came close to his hat-trick. Following a corner, De Bruyne found the Norwegian’s head with a ball in from the left. Haaland’s header looked set to hit the back of the net until Muric superbly tipped it over. The second half had been a quieter affair with City happy with the position the game was on and feeling little need to go chasing more goals with quite the intensity of the first half. In the 71st minute, City swapped Doku and Savinho for Gundogan and Jack Grealish, while the Blues switched Szmodics, who could be very pleased with his full debut, and Luongo for Marcus Harness and Jack Taylor. Town created their first opening of the half in the 76th minute after good work from Delap, who had been more effective since the break. Davis nodded back Johnson’s deep cross from the right, Taylor couldn’t get on it, then Harness and Delap got in one another’s way and the opportunity was gone. Three minutes later, Grealish saw an effort crowded out by Axel Tuanzebe, the most impressive of the Town defenders. With eight minutes remaining, Town swapped Delap, who once again caught the eye, despite having a difficult job as the central striker, for Ali Al-Hamadi. As the game moved into its final minutes, the Blues were pinned back in their own box as City went looking for a fourth but with the Town backline successfully repelling everything until the 87th minute when Haaland claimed his hat-trick. A loose ball cannoned off Harness to Haaland’s feet five yards outside the area and the striker hit a shot on the turn which beat Muric just inside his left post. Town made a double change ahead of the restart, Chaplin and Edmundson taking over from Hutchinson and Tuanzebe, while City replaced Haaland, who was warmly applauded off by the home support, and De Bruyne for James McAtee and Mateus Nunes. Al-Hamadi was booked for a foul on Grealish in the third of five additional minutes with City continuing to look for goals. Seconds from time, Grealish was booked for a dive after throwing himself to the turf having stood on Morsy’s foot as he sought to go past the Town skipper inside the area. That was the last action of a game which in the end went very much as would have been predicted with City running out comfortable winners and Haaland adding to his remarkable goals record, continuing his record of scoring against every Premier League opponent, now 23. While City dominated throughout, the Blues took their one real chance through Szmodics but two errors soon afterwards lost any impetus that might have brought them, then the third soon afterwards, with Town reeling at that stage, all but settled the game. The Blues regrouped after the three goals in 191 seconds and the second half was a quieter affair until the latter stages when Haaland grabbed his third. Town have far from embarrassed themselves in their tough two opening games against Liverpool and City, albeit without gaining a point. However, it’s the matches against teams such as next opponents Fulham, who are at Portman Road next Saturday, which will dictate whether the Blues are able to compete in this division. Manchester City: Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Kovacic (Stones 51), De Bruyne (Nunes 90) (c), Bernardo, Savinho (Grealish 71), Doku (Gundogan 71), Haaland (McAtee 90). Unused: Ortega Moreno, Walker, Ake, Kabore. Town: Muric, Tuanzebe (Edmundson 89), Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis, Morsy (c), Luongo (Taylor 72), Johnson, Szmodics (Harness 72), Hutchinson (Caaplin 89), Delap (Al-Hamadi 82). Unused: Walton, Burgess, Townsend, Cajuste. Referee: Sam Allison (Wiltshire). VAR official: David Coote.
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