Ipswich vs Manchester City Review
Manchester City showcased their impressive abilities by defeating Ipswich 6-0 at Portman Road, marking their 21st victory in the last 22 Premier League games against newly-promoted teams. Although City has not been at their best recently, struggling Ipswich saw a chance to capitalize early on. Liam Delap was thwarted by a last-minute block from Joško Gvardiol, but the Tractor Boys quickly realized the level of talent City possesses when Erling Haaland broke through on goal, requiring a superb one-handed save from Christian Walton to keep them in the game. However, this was only a temporary reprieve, as Phil Foden scored from Kevin De Bruyne’s assist in the 27th minute, signaling the start of the onslaught.
City increased their lead just three minutes later. Foden played a key role again, setting up Mateo Kovačić, who scored from the edge of the box. Ipswich struggled to contain Foden in the first half, and he continued to trouble the home team before halftime, slipping into the box to finish De Bruyne’s cross. City then scored again, when Jérémy Doku skillfully maneuvered into the box just five minutes into the second half, and his deflected shot found the back of the net. Although the Doku had been relatively quiet, he played a part in City’s fifth goal before the hour mark, capitalizing on a poor pass from Jack Clarke to set up Haaland, who scored.
City were unlikely to ease up, and even with several substitutions, it was one of those changes that led to their sixth goal, as James McAtee scored with a header from Kovačić’s cross. City did ease off a bit, settling for six goals after a performance reminiscent of their dominant days under Guardiola. While they still have a journey ahead to demonstrate they’ve genuinely turned a corner, delivering Ipswich’s joint-heaviest Premier League defeat this century was definitely a positive beginning.
