Enzo Fernández had been named on Maresca’s bench for Saturday’s fixture against newly promoted Coventry City at the Etihad. The Argentine, whose deadline-day move from Chelsea made him the joint most expensive signing in British football history at £125m, was pushed into the eleven after O’Reilly pulled up in warm-up.
Twenty-six minutes later, he was involved in the only goal of the game. Fernández released Antoine Semenyo down the right, and Semenyo’s cross was met by Haaland arriving in the middle. The Norwegian glanced it in for his 20th headed goal in the Premier League since joining City in 2022, more than any other player in that time.
Gianluigi Donnarumma kept it 1-0 with two late saves as Coventry, back in the top flight for the first time since 2001, pushed for an equaliser late on.
Nine points from three matches
Manchester City have opened the season with wins over Bournemouth (2-1), Crystal Palace (4-1) and now Coventry, and sit three points clear of Arsenal at the top after the third round of fixtures. Maresca was pleased with the way his side controlled a tighter contest.
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“It’s an important win, different from the first two,” he told reporters afterwards.
“I’m very happy. I know the players day-by-day, we know each other. It means we will get better and better.”
Iliman Ndiaye, who joined from Everton for £65m, started alongside Fernández.
“(We) started with a win, so it couldn’t get any better,” he said.
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Haaland’s three in three so far
Fernández and Ndiaye between them account for £190m of a summer outlay that has pushed Manchester City past £600m across the window, on top of earlier arrivals Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi. The squad rebuild has already produced a full spine of new faces, and Maresca’s side have still been navigating combinations while winning.
He was quiet in the opening 2-1 defeat of Bournemouth on 23 August, then scored twice in the 4-1 at Selhurst Park a week later, and now the header at the Etihad. Three goals in three matches. On the scoresheet in each of the past two.
Lampard’s Coventry go home empty
Frank Lampard’s Coventry ended a 25-year absence from the Premier League this summer after winning the Championship title in April. They created enough at the Etihad to have taken something home, with Taiwo Awoniyi firing wide early on, but Donnarumma’s late saves and Haaland’s routine header sent them back with nothing.
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