Brobbey scores hat-trick in wild loss to City

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Enzo Maresca's side prevailed in an eight-goal thriller at the Etihad Stadium, where Erling Haaland had the final say.

The host opened the scoring in the ninth minute through Enzo Fernandez's first goal for the club, as he caught out Robin Roefs with a well-executed free-kick from a tight angle.

Sunderland was back on level terms three minutes later when Brobbey took Enzo Le Fee's neat pass into his stride and finished with the outside of his boot.

Rayan Cherki drilled City back in front, but the Black Cats responded again, with Thomas Meunier latching onto Le Fee's reverse pass and squaring for Brobbey to tuck away.

Maresca's team led for a third time just before the break, through Antoine Semenyo's powerful finish. 

It marked the first time City have taken the lead three times in the first half of a Premier League match, and just the seventh time it has happened for any team in the competition's history.

Semenyo then added his second in the 57th minute, firing past Roefs after Cherki's attempted throughball ricocheted into his path.

Yet City did not then run away with it. Just two minutes later, Brobbey rounded off his hat-trick, prodding into the empty net after Nilson Angulo beat Gianluigi Donnarumma to Granit Xhaka's sublime delivery into the box.

Ruben Dias cleared off the line as the visitor looked to equalise for a third time. However, Haaland eventually put the result beyond Sunderland in the 81st minute.

City's number nine turned home Josko Gvardiol's low cross at the far post, with the goal awarded after a VAR review after it was initially chalked off for offside.