Haaland hat-trick leads City to dominant 4-1 victory over Ipswich

City recover from early setback to outclass Ipswich, reaffirming their Premier League dominance

Manchester City secured a comfortable home victory, defeating Ipswich Town 4-1 on Saturday at Etihad Stadium, Etihad Campus, Manchester, although the match started with an unexpected scare. The newly promoted Ipswich briefly stunned City with an early goal through Szmodics after a quick counterattack, momentarily raising hopes of a potential upset.

However, City swiftly regained control. Erling Haaland equalised from the penalty spot after Savinho's run forced Davis into a foul. Just moments later, Kevin De Bruyne capitalised on a goalkeeper error to give City the lead. Haaland soon added another with a cool finish following another mistake from Muric, completing a turnaround within 16 minutes.

The second half saw a more subdued City, as they controlled possession and slowed the pace, with Ipswich unable to mount any significant response. The match’s biggest highlight came with Ilkay Gündogan’s return to the pitch, greeted with enthusiasm by the home fans. Meanwhile, City faced a concern with Mateo Kovacic’s knock, though it appeared minor.

Haaland completed his hat-trick in the dying minutes with a powerful shot from the edge of the box, sealing City’s dominant win. Despite the early shock, Pep Guardiola’s side proved too strong for Ipswich, demonstrating once again why they are favourites for the Premier League title.

City’s performance underlined their formidable home record and showed they remain on course for another successful season, with Haaland and De Bruyne pivotal in maintaining their title ambitions. The champions’ early dominance suggests they will be hard to beat once again.