Man City vs Sunderland: Semenyo settles 8-goal thriller to send Maresca's men 3 points clear of Arsenal

Arsenal's shocking 3-0 defeat to Brighton on Saturday opened the door for Manchester City to extend their lead at the top of the standings to 3 points.

Enzo Fernández opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a clever free-kick, but Brian Brobbey quickly equalised for the visitors.

Rayan Cherki restored City’s lead midway through the first half, only for Brobbey to level again. Semenyo then fired City ahead for a third time just before the break with a well-taken strike.

The Ghanaian international made it 4-2 early in the second half, but Brobbey completed his hat-trick to keep Sunderland in contention at 4-3.

Erling Haaland eventually sealed the points with a close-range finish in the 81st minute after a VAR check.

Semenyo’s two goals and overall performance proved decisive in a chaotic match that saw both sides trade blows throughout.

The result leaves Enzo Maresca’s side top of the table with a perfect five wins from five, heading into the three-week international break.