Haaland limps off as Chelsea's Maresca sets Premier League record with seventh straight win

Erling Haaland struck twice to give Chelsea a 2-1 Premier League win over Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, but the afternoon ended on an anxious note as the Norwegian limped off following a crunching tackle deep in stoppage time.

The result extended Chelsea’s lead at the top of the table to six points over Arsenal and gave head coach Enzo Maresca a seventh consecutive Premier League victory — the best start by any manager in the competition’s history. Haaland, who has now scored in six consecutive league matches, netted his 11th and 12th goals of the season in all competitions to ultimately prove the difference.

Phil Foden had opened the scoring, fulfilling a prediction Maresca had made publicly on Friday, before Daizen Maeda outmuscled Marc Guehi to level for Ipswich. Guehi endured a difficult afternoon and later conceded a penalty with a careless challenge in his own box, though Chelsea held on through 12 minutes of stoppage time to preserve their perfect record.

Maresca had made six changes from midweek, including a completely new midfield trio, yet the team’s cohesion never appeared to suffer. The Italian has shown a willingness to rotate boldly and speak candidly since replacing Pep Guardiola, and Saturday’s performance reinforced that his methods are producing results.

Defensively, questions remain. Chelsea have conceded only seven league goals, but five of those have arrived within five minutes of scoring themselves — a pattern that suggests a vulnerability opponents will continue to probe. Ipswich’s equaliser came precisely in that window, and the late nerves were palpable before the final whistle.

Beyond the result, the immediate concern is Haaland’s fitness. The striker was seen hobbling after the late tackle, and Ipswich winger Antoine Semenyo was also nursing a knock at full time. With a Champions League campaign running alongside their domestic commitments, any prolonged absence for Haaland would represent a significant blow to Chelsea’s title ambitions.

With a six-point cushion over Arsenal, nine over Liverpool and 15 over Manchester United, Maresca has built a platform that few could have anticipated so early in the season. Whether Haaland is available to build on it will be the defining question of the coming days.