Enzo Maresca has gone one further than three of the most decorated managers English football has produced. Manchester City’s 3-2 win over Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday made it seven Premier League victories from his first seven matches in charge, a start no manager had managed before in the competition.
The record he overtook was shared between Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who each opened their reigns with six straight wins at City, Chelsea and Manchester United respectively. Maresca inherited the City job from Guardiola himself after being pushed out at Chelsea on 1 January 2026, according to Football Italia.
Haaland limps off, then shrugs it off
The win was neither comfortable nor without worry. Phil Foden opened the scoring in the 19th minute, ending a 23-match goalless run, Sky Sports reported, before Daizen Maeda equalised two minutes later. Haaland headed City back in front on 34 minutes and converted again shortly after the hour, only for a Zian Flemming penalty to drag Ipswich back to 3-2 in the closing stages.
A VAR offside call denied Haaland a hat-trick in the 85th minute. The Norwegian then limped straight down the tunnel at full time after a late challenge from Jack Clarke, prompting an immediate injury scare.
Maresca was pressed on the striker’s condition.
“I ask him, he said he was ok. Nothing serious.”
The brace took Haaland to 12 goals in all competitions this season and made him the fastest player in Premier League history to reach 100 non-penalty goals.
Praise for a captain in all but armband
Maresca did not stop at the result when discussing the Norwegian.
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“He’s not just scoring. He’s a leader, a captain. He’s doing very well.”
The manager also pointed to a wider fitness problem that had hit his squad late in the match.
“Unfortunately, in 10 minutes, we had four or five players [with injury issues].”
City pull six clear as rivals stay in touch
The win left City six points clear at the top of the table, with Arsenal second on 15 points and Chelsea fourth on 13 after seven rounds. Maresca’s opening sequence has swept past Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Coventry City, Manchester United, Sunderland, Liverpool and Ipswich.
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Not everything has run smoothly outside the league. His City debut ended in a 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, and his first home Champions League night brought a 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
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