Manchester City 5-3 Sunderland: a hat-trick is not enough
AI-written review based on match data · How we make it
Key numbers
- 5 goals from 2.82 xG: City beat their own xG
- 17 shots conceded, well above City's season average
- 54 minutes in front for City, none for Sunderland
Two equalisers, two answers
Sunderland pulled level twice, in the 12th and 33rd minutes, yet Manchester City kept finding the next goal in a 5-3 win. Each of those equalisers was followed by a City goal before the break. The result left City top of the table.
City's defence stretched beyond its norm
This was where City looked least like themselves. They allowed 17 shots and Sunderland had nine on target, both well above the season averages over six matches. Gianluigi Donnarumma made saves, but City's goals-against figure was far higher than in any earlier match this season.
Finishing outweighed a lower xG
Sunderland's xG of 3.57 was higher than City's 2.82, and their xG per shot was also the higher of the two. City still outperformed their xG by 2.18, while Sunderland scored fewer than their chances suggested. That gap in finishing explains a result the underlying numbers do not.
The lead City never gave back
Antoine Semenyo's strike in the 43rd minute, set up by Marc Guéhi, was worth +0.8 FN xPts because it turned a level match into a City lead before half-time. Sunderland kept coming and Brian Brobbey completed his hat-trick, but City held the lead for the rest of the afternoon.
Player of the match
Antoine Semenyo 9.2Dominant
Two goals and an assist, with all 28 of his passes completed.
Antoine Semenyo did most of his work in attack: both of his shots were on target, he created three chances and he set up Rayan Cherki's goal in the 29th minute. His own goals in the 43rd and 57th minutes made it 3-2 and 4-2, and he also added two tackles and an interception.
Game state
1-01-12-12-23-24-24-35-3
Manchester City ahead 54 min · level 36 min · Sunderland ahead 0 min
FN xPts — what each moment was worth
How much each moment changed that team's expected points (win 3, draw 1). A goal's value is credited 70% to the scorer and 30% to the assist.
9'
Enzo Fernández
Goal
+0.5
12'
Brian Brobbey
Goal · scorer +0.3 · assist Enzo Le Fée +0.1
+0.4
29'
Rayan Cherki
Goal · scorer +0.5 · assist Antoine Semenyo +0.2
+0.7
33'
Brian Brobbey
Goal · scorer +0.3 · assist Thomas Meunier +0.2
+0.5
43'
Antoine Semenyo
Goal · scorer +0.6 · assist Marc Guéhi +0.2
+0.8
57'
Antoine Semenyo
Goal
+0.2
59'
Brian Brobbey
Goal · assist Nilson Angulo
+0.1
81'
Erling Haaland
Goal · assist Joško Gvardiol
+0.2
Manchester City
Expected (last two seasons) 2.2Own moments +2.4Opponent moments −1.4Time effect −0.2→ League points won 3
Sunderland
Expected (last two seasons) 0.6Own moments +1.0Opponent moments −1.7Time effect +0.1→ League points won 0
Expected points don't add up to a fixed total (a draw is 1 + 1), so an opponent's moment isn't simply the mirror of your loss. "Time effect" is the change as the clock runs down on a lead or a chase, and isn't credited to any player.
How FN Score and FN xPts work →
Match stats
Manchester CitySunderland
2.82Expected goals (xG)3.57
Compared with usual
Manchester City
6 matches this season, all competitions baseline
| This match | Avg | |
|---|
| Goals | 5 | 2.5 | |
| Conceded | 3 | 0.33 | |
| xG | 2.82 | 2 | |
| xG against | 3.57 | 0.79 | |
| Shots | 16 | 14.3 | |
| On target | 6 | 6.2 | |
| Shots faced | 17 | 8.5 | |
| xG per shot | 0.18 | 0.15 | |
| Possession | 55% | 64.7% | |
| Passes | 475 | 677 | |
| Pass accuracy | 85% | 89.8% | |
| Corners | 6 | 5.3 | |
| Fouls | 14 | 10.7 | |
Sunderland
6 matches this season, all competitions baseline
| This match | Avg | |
|---|
| Goals | 3 | 0.83 | |
| Conceded | 5 | 0.83 | |
| xG | 3.57 | 1.8 | |
| xG against | 2.82 | 1.5 | |
| Shots | 17 | 13.7 | |
| On target | 9 | 4 | |
| Shots faced | 16 | 10.3 | |
| xG per shot | 0.21 | 0.13 | |
| Possession | 45% | 49.5% | |
| Passes | 388 | 402.5 | |
| Pass accuracy | 81% | 80.4% | |
| Corners | 5 | 5.7 | |
| Fouls | 14 | 12.2 | |
Timeline
- 8'
Yellow
Dayann Methalie
- 9'
Goal
Enzo Fernández league goal #1
- 12'
Goal
Brian Brobbey league goal #1 assist Enzo Le Fée
- 29'
Goal
Rayan Cherki league goal #3 assist Antoine Semenyo
- 33'
Goal
Brian Brobbey league goal #2 assist Thomas Meunier
- 43'
Goal
Antoine Semenyo league goal #1 assist Marc Guéhi
- 57'
Goal
Antoine Semenyo league goal #2
- 59'
Goal
Brian Brobbey league goal #3 assist Nilson Angulo
- 60'
Sub
Nilson Angulo → Malick Fofana
- 68'
Sub
Noah Sadiki → Wilson Isidor
- 75'
Sub
Iliman Ndiaye → Jérémy Doku
- 79'
Sub
Thomas Meunier → Trai Hume
- 81'
Goal
Erling Haaland league goal #5 assist Joško Gvardiol
- 83'
VAR
Erling Haaland
- 85'
Sub
Rayan Cherki → Nico O'Reilly
Category leaders
- Key passesEnzo Le Fée5
- Duels wonDaniel Ballard12/18
- DribblesDayann Methalie3/3
- Defensive actionsNordi Mukiele9
- ShotsBrian Brobbey5 (on target 4)
- Fouls wonBrian Brobbey5
#Premier League#Manchester City#Sunderland#Antoine Semenyo#Brian Brobbey#Erling Haaland
This review was written by AI from match data (API-Football). FN Score and FN xPts are calculated by Fulltime Note using a published formula.