Sawt Falasteen - Five-star Man City top Premier League after Sunderland thriller

Argentina midfielder Fernandez, signed from Chelsea for a £125 million ($167 million) on transfer deadline day, started the goal spree with his early strike at the Etihad Stadium.

Brian Brobbey led Sunderland's fightback, equalising after Fernandez's opener and cancelling out Rayan Cherki's goal.

Antoine Semenyo's brace kept City in front before Brobbey completed his hat-trick to put Sunderland back within one goal of Enzo Maresca's side.

Erling Haaland netted in the closing stages to seal City's seventh successive win in all competitions this season.

City have the only perfect record left in the Premier League this season and sit three points above champions Arsenal heading into the international break.

It has been a dream start for Maresca as he tackles the daunting task of replacing Pep Guardiola, who won 20 trophies in a golden era with City before resigning at the end of last season.

City have climbed to the top of the table with 13 goals in five league games, although, with games against Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain immediately after the break, Maresca will be concerned about the defensive issues exposed by Sunderland.

Fernandez put City ahead after just nine minutes with a curling free-kick that caught Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs off guard as it flashed past him at the near post.

Sunderland hit back impressively as Brobbey took Enzo Le Fee's pass and steered a clinical finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 12th minute.

Cherki restored City's lead in the 29th minute, the French forward prodding in after Sunderland made a hash of clearing the danger.

City's defensive flaws were exposed by Brobbey again in the 33rd minute.

Le Fee and Thomas Meunier combined to tee up Brobbey as City failed to react quickly enough to stop the Dutch forward converting from close range, with the goal finally allowed after a three-minute VAR check for a potential offside.

A breathless half climaxed when Semenyo drilled past Roefs for his first goal of the season in the 43rd minute.

City defender Marc Guehi stumbled as he tried to reach Cherki's pass, but the ball ran towards Semenyo and the Ghanian forward lashed home from close range.

Semenyo was on target again in the 52nd minute, pouncing on Cherki's pass with a composed strike after more sloppy Sunderland defending.

Just as City looked set to run riot, Brobbey completed his treble two minutes later.

Nilson Angulo's pass was already rolling towards the net, but Brobbey ensured Guehi couldn't clear as he tapped in.

With no let-up in the frantic tempo, City defender Ruben Dias nearly gifted Sunderland an equaliser, inadvertantly guiding the ball towards his own net before hacking it to safety.

Haaland ensured City could relax at last in the 81st minute, finishing in typically predatory fashion at the far post for his seventh goal in six games this season.

C.Hamad--SF-PST