Tractor Boys took the lead in the seventh minute, but already by the 16th minute, they were losing 3-1. Sammie Szmodics’ goal seemed to have angered Pep Guardiola’s crew, who immediately started crushing the opponent. Erling Haaland scored a brace (once from the spot), and Kevin De Bruyne added another goal, all in the first half. The second 45 minutes were much calmer, with only one goal – Haaland’s long-distance effort to complete the hat-trick, making it 4-1.FT: Manchester City 4-1 Ipswich Town.3 goals by Erling Haaland, 1 goal by Kevin de Bruyne! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/PI9e8HymC8— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) August 24, 2024 The last two times Man City and Ipswich faced each other in the Premier League were in the 2000/2001 season. The Tractor Boys won both times and finished fifth, qualifying for the UEFA Cup, while the Cityzens were relegated. Twenty-four years later, the tables have completely turned – Ipswich were just promoted, and Man City are the four-time consecutive champions.Guardiola decided to face the newcomers Ipswich with the exact same starting lineup as in last week’s match against Chelsea. De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva were in the midfield alongside Mateo Kovacic and young Rico Lewis, while Jeremy Doku and Savinho were in the flanks. The returnee, Ilkay Gundogan, started the game on the bench. On the other hand, Kieran McKenna opted for the – in prospect – very defensive squad in a 5-4-1 formation, with Man City’s child, Liam Delap, as the only forward.Already after seven minutes, the away team stunned the champions! Ipswich performed a superb counterattack, which was started by Omari Hutchinson, who found Benjamin Johnson. The defender sent a perfect ball into space for Sammie Szmodics who found the net, only eight days after arriving from Blackburn – 1-0!However, the Tractor Boys’ joy lasted only three minutes since, in the 11th minute, Savinho went down in the box after Leif Davis’ tackle – enough for a penalty. Haaland was impeccable, making it 1-1! After only three minutes, City took the lead! Ipswich’s keeper Arijanet Muric made a horrendous mistake, allowing Savinho to steal the ball and pass it to De Bruyne, who just sent it into the empty net, scoring his 150th career goal – 2-1!Practically the next attack brought another goal for the Cityzens! This time, the Belgian midfielder noted an assist for Haaland’s second goal of the match – 3-1 already after 16 minutes! Man City could have netted for the fourth time after 12 minutes but hit the bar twice instead – first Lewis from close range and then De Bruyne from a distance. The Tractor Boys were quite lucky. Until the break, Ipswich somehow managed to keep their head above the water and await the second half, remaining “only” two goals down.Two Ivorians make their mark in a Brihgton win over ManchesterThe same story continued after the break. While Man City were dominating and keeping the ball, Ipswich players were at around 30 meters of their goal, lurking a counterattack opportunity. Kovacic’s injury after only a few minutes in the second half erased a smile off Guardiola’s face, who replaced the Croatian with John Stones. On one side, the Cityzens seemed complacent, while on the other, McKenna’s boys just hoped not to concede more goals.City had their first massive chance after the break in the 65th minute when Muric superbly saved Haaland’s header and thus even slightly redeemed himself for the goal-leading mistake from the first period. The 70th minute marked Gundogan’s return to Etihad Stadium when the German entered the game for Savinho. In the 88th minute, Haaland completed the hat-trick after sending a fantastic effort behind Muric’s back from around 20 meters.After the outstanding first period, the rhythm significantly dropped in the second, with both teams mainly waiting for the end. After all, the fact that City had only two chances after the break speaks volumes. Ipswich faced the toughest possible opponents in the initial Premier League rounds – Liverpool and Man City – and will look for essential points already in the next round at home against Fulham. Guardiola’s crew will, on the other hand, travel to London to play West Ham.PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHDAY 2SaturdayBrighton – Man.Utd. 2-1 (1-0)/Welbeck 32, Pedro 90+5 – Diallo 60/Fulham – Leicester 2-1 (1-1)/Smith Rowe 18, Iwobi 70 – Faes 38/Tottenham – Everton 4-0 (2-0)/Bissouma 14, Son 25, 77, Romero 71/Crystal Palace – West Ham 0-2 (0-0)/Soucek 67, Bowen 72/Man.City – Ipswich 4-1 (3-1)/Haaland 12 pen, 15, 88, De Bruyne 14 – Szmodics 7/Southampton – Nott.Forest 0-1 (0-0)/Gibbs-White 70/19:30: (4.60) Aston Villa (3.60) Arsenal (1.80)Sunday 16:00: (4.70) Wolverhampton (3.70) Chelsea (1.85)16:00: (3.20) Bournemouth (3.60) Newcastle (2.30)18:30: (1.25) Liverpool (6.50) Brentford (10.0)***odds are subject to change***
