Seven league wins from seven, a first for any manager at a new Premier League club. City had 70% of the ball and almost twice Ipswich's xG, and still had to sweat through 12 minutes of added time.
The numbers
| Manchester City | Ipswich Town | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 70% | 30% |
| Shots | 19 | 8 |
| xG | 3.35 | 1.86 |
| Big chances | 6 | 3 |
| Touches in opp. box | 41 | 15 |
| Passes | 744 | 313 |
Result the chances deserved: Manchester City 67% / 15% / Ipswich Town 19% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Guéhi, O'Reilly, Kovačić, Bouaddi, Ndiaye, Foden, Doku, Haaland.
Ipswich Town (3-4-2-1): Walton, O'Shea, Diop, Greaves, Ouattara, Florentino, Palacios, Davis, Maeda, Enciso, Emersonn.
Ipswich subs: Matusiwa (71', Florentino), Fatawu (71', Maeda; 73' on FotMob), Akpom (78', Enciso), Flemming (78', Emersonn), Clarke (90+1', Greaves; 90+2' in City's report). Unused: Scherpen, Furlong, Kipre, Philogene. Ipswich coach: Gary O'Neil. Yellow cards: Ouattara (73'), Gvardiol (90+7'), Davis (90+12'). Haaland's 85th-minute goal, which would have been his hat-trick, was ruled out by VAR because Fernández was offside in the build-up. The penalty was given after a VAR review for Guéhi's challenge on Fatawu. FotMob and City's report have Haaland's second at 69' and the penalty at 90'; Sky Sports has 68' and 88'. xG: FotMob 3.35–1.86 (FotMob first showed 3.53–1.66, the figure beIN Sports quoted). Crowd: 60,817, a record at the Etihad (Man City).
Key moments, move by move
- Kovačić's pass sets Doku free on the left.
- Doku beats his man and gets to the byline.
- He cuts it back and Foden, arriving late, finishes first time with his left foot, low past Walton. His first goal since December 2025.
- Ouattara plays the ball in behind City's back line.
- Maeda races onto it and shrugs off Guéhi.
- One-on-one, he finishes low at the near post past Donnarumma, who had come off his line.
- Kovačić runs down the right side of the box, unchallenged.
- He crosses towards the penalty spot.
- Haaland heads it in.
- City break, and Ndiaye plays Haaland through.
- Haaland holds off Ouattara.
- He finishes with his left foot past Walton.
- Guéhi catches Fatawu, on as a substitute, in the box; VAR sends the referee to the screen and the penalty is given.
- Flemming, on at 78', scores from the spot past Donnarumma.
City's 4-2-3-1 against a very low back five: 70% of the ball, goals from the wings, and the space behind
- Ipswich sat deep. O'Neil's 3-4-2-1 (FotMob) dropped into a back five: "It is very compact and very low, which is out of respect for the quality that you're up against" (TWTD). City had 70% of the ball and 744 passes to 313 (Sofascore).
- City went round the outside. Both first-half goals came from the flanks: Doku reached the byline for Foden's opener, Kovačić crossed from the right for Haaland's header. Doku made 11 progressive carries, and 15 of City's 19 shots came from inside the box (Sofascore).
- Ipswich's way out was one pass. Ouattara's ball in behind Guéhi made 1–1 two minutes after the opener. From 30% of the ball Ipswich made 1.86 xG, penalty included, and three big chances (FotMob, Sofascore). O'Neil: "We wasted some fantastic opportunities" (VAVEL).
- A rotated midfield. Maresca started Bouaddi, Kovačić and Foden after the PSG defeat. Kovačić made the first two goals and went off at 50'. City scored three from 3.35 xG, about what their chances were worth; Ipswich's two from 1.86 were the part above the odds (FotMob).
Tactical scenes
Once Ipswich were in their back five, City's shots kept hitting bodies. Walton saved Dias's long-range shot early on, Greaves blocked Haaland, O'Reilly headed wide early in the second half, and Haaland's late third goal was ruled out for offside. City were in the box all afternoon, but rarely with a clear look at goal.
Evidence: Ipswich made 25 clearances and 12 interceptions, caught City offside five times, and O'Shea and Greaves blocked four shots between them; Walton made four saves (Sofascore). City still had 41 touches in Ipswich's box to Ipswich's 15 (FotMob). Sofascore report · FotMob match page · Man City match report (Spanish)
O'Neil expected City to tire after PSG and made four changes between 71' and 78'. Fatawu went at City's left side and Flemming and Akpom gave Ipswich two more runners. City spent the end defending balls into their box, and Fatawu won the penalty that made it 3–2.
Evidence: Ipswich made 119 sprints to City's 106 and ran 120.3 km to 117.8 (Sofascore). Fatawu won the penalty 19 minutes after coming on (Sofascore); four of Ipswich's five changes came between 71' and 78' (FotMob). Sofascore report · FotMob match page · VAVEL: O'Neil reaction
Recreate it in FM26
Manchester City · City's wide routes round a low back five · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
City's wide routes round a low back five
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Donnarumma | Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | Nunes | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RCB | Dias | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Centre-Back |
| LCB | Guéhi | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | O'Reilly | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RDM | Kovačić | Box-to-Box Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Bouaddi | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Screening Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Ndiaye | Inside Forward | Tracking Winger |
| AM | Foden | Attacking Midfielder | Tracking Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Doku | Winger | Winger |
| ST | Haaland | Centre Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Passing DirectnessShorter
- Attacking WidthWider
- PatienceWork Ball Into Box
- DribblingEncouraged
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Defensive LineHigher
- Defensive TransitionCounter-Press
The idea: A 4-2-3-1 that keeps the ball and goes round a low block, with a Winger who beats his man to the byline and a Box-to-Box Playmaker who arrives on the far side to cross. You need a centre-back quick enough to cover the space a Higher line leaves.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't reproduce Ipswich's late burst of fresh legs or the VAR decisions at both ends.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Cherki on at 65' (for Foden), Khusanov on at 60' (for Nunes). Keep the shape and the press, which made 3.35 xG, but bring Khusanov's pace on before Ipswich's fresh legs and add Cherki between the lines. City probably win more comfortably; Ipswich's late pressure gets smaller, not gone. It moves Manchester City's win chance from 67% to 71% (xG 3.35–1.86 becomes 3.50–1.71). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Manchester City needed
Rayan Cherki
Ipswich defended their box with a back five and made 25 clearances. Cherki's passes between the lines and shots from the edge of the box are the other way through a block that kept heading crosses away.
Ezri Konsa
Ipswich's goal from open play came from one pass behind City's high line, and their late runners kept testing it. Konsa is quick across the ground and used to defending a high line, the race Maeda won for 1–1.
What the analysts said
“Today I thought we controlled the game, created chances and were good off the ball.”Enzo Maresca (Man City)
“First of all, I am very happy because it's a matter of winning games in this business.”Enzo Maresca (Man City)
“I've been needing that goal for a long time!”Phil Foden (Man City)
“It is very compact and very low, which is out of respect for the quality that you're up against.”Gary O'Neil (via TWTD)
“The second goal against us is the one that really annoys me.”Gary O'Neil (via TWTD)
“We knew they would tire a bit; they've had a busy week against two top sides.”Gary O'Neil (via VAVEL)
City made enough chances to win easily, and Ipswich made it close with almost none of the ball.
What's happening. City beat Ipswich 3–2 for a seventh straight league win, and Maresca became the first manager to win his first seven Premier League games at a club. Foden scored his first goal in ten months and Haaland scored twice. But Ipswich, with less than a third of the ball, scored twice and were still in it at the end.
How it works. Ipswich sat in a very low back five and waited to play one pass in behind. Against a block like that, the gaps are on the outside, and City used them: Doku carried the ball to the byline for the opener, Kovačić crossed from the right for the second. The cost of pushing everyone up is the space behind. One ball from Ouattara put Maeda through, and late on Ipswich's fresh runners pinned City back.
What the shots say. City had almost twice Ipswich's xG and most of their shots came from inside the box. One reading: City were well on top and should have won comfortably; Ndiaye hit the crossbar and Haaland had a third ruled out. The other: Ipswich made three big chances from very little, and a side with sharper finishers would have punished the space behind City's line.