Haaland hobbles off after brace as 10-win City pull six clear of Arsenal

Erling Haaland scored twice but hobbled straight down the tunnel at full time as Manchester City beat Ipswich Town 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium to extend their perfect Premier League start and move six points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table.

The Norwegian striker appeared to hurt his foot in the closing stages of the match, casting doubt over his availability for a demanding run of fixtures that includes a Champions League home tie against AEK Athens on Thursday and a trip to Aston Villa the following weekend.

Haaland’s double brought his tally to 12 goals in all competitions from 14 starts for club and country this season — a workload that City head coach Enzo Maresca had already flagged as unsustainable. “At some point we probably need to give him rest, some days off,” Maresca said in his pre-match press conference. He also left summer signing Rayan Cherki on the bench for the full 90 minutes against Ipswich.

Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo was also seen struggling with a knock during the frantic closing stages, though the primary concern after the final whistle centred on Haaland.

The 3-2 victory was City’s seventh successive Premier League win to open the season and their second league win since the club were found guilty of serious breaches of the competition’s financial regulations last month. The result lifts them six points above champions Arsenal with the campaign still in its early weeks.

City face a particularly congested October schedule, with a double-header against Brighton before the end of the month — hosting the Seagulls in both the Carabao Cup and the Premier League within the space of a week. Whether Haaland is fit enough to feature in all of those fixtures remains to be seen.