*Chelsea Down Everton
*Liverpool Survive Scare From Nine-Man Brentford To Record Narrow Win
*PSG Prepare For Barca In UCL Tuesday With Come-From-Behind Victory Over Old Nemesis
*Bayern So Ruthless
Manchester City and Barcelona on Saturday maintained their perfect 2026/2027 domestic winning starts.
While City have now won all seven matches so far played in the English Premier League (EPL) following its 3-2 win over Ipswich Town, Haaland bagging a brace in the process, Barcelona withstood a stiff test away to Real Betis, thumping it 5-2 with Lamine Yamal opening the scoring early in the game.
But in the EPL match, the sight of a badly limping Haaland heading straight down the tunnel added another concern to those already hanging over the club.
City are appealing a ruling that they breached 114 Premier League financial rules and deny wrongdoing, but the uncertainty off the pitch has done little to disrupt them on it.
Enzo Maresca’s side’s record wins this season is their best-ever start to a Premier League season.
Maresca also became the first manager to win his opening seven Premier League games in charge as City bounced back from Wednesday’s Champions League 2-4 home defeat by Paris St Germain (PSG), his first meaningful loss as City boss.
How City’s Match Went
Haaland struck twice after Phil Foden’s first goal of the season had been cancelled out by Daizen Maeda, with the Norwegian’s second his 100th non-penalty Premier League goal, reached in a record 139 appearances.
He was denied a hat-trick by an offside in the build-up before Zian Flemming’s stoppage-time penalty made the scoreline closer than the game felt.
But victory came at a potentially heavy cost during a punishing stretch of four games in 10 days.
While Maresca had made six changes to his team from Wednesday, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly all went off injured, while Antoine Semenyo was also limping badly at the final whistle.
“Unfortunately, in 10 minutes, we had four, five players (hurt),” Maresca said. “I don’t have any news at the moment.”
Haaland made a beeline for the tunnel rather than staying to applaud supporters, unusual for the striker, with Semenyo hobbling off not far behind.
Haaland Said He’s Ok, Coach Says
“I don’t know (Haaland’s injury),” Maresca said. “I asked him. He said that he was okay. So hopefully, it’s nothing serious.”
The uncertainty surrounding City has hardly dampened the mood among their supporters, who were in defiant voice at the Etihad as a stadium-record 60,817 watched the game.
They loudly booed the Premier League anthem before kick-off and waved inflatable bananas, reviving a City tradition dating from their days outside the top flight in the 1980s.
Supporters turned the prospect of possible relegation as a sanction into gallows humour, chanting “You’re going down with the City!” at the travelling Ipswich fans.
Outside the stadium, vendors did brisk business selling bananas and T-shirts carrying anti-charge slogans, including “Stick your charges where the sun don’t shine” and “City til I die.”
“The environment was very good,” Maresca said. “They just said to me that today was a record attendance, so that’s also a nice thing. The fans, the club, the players, we are all together in this journey, and this is the best feeling for everyone.”
Maresca has said several times since the team reconvened after the international break that he has instructed his players to shut out external criticism as the club appeals the guilty verdict.
Captain Ruben Dias said earlier in the week that “it’s almost impossible to avoid seeing something, even us being as private as we can be and just doing our own lives on your phone. It’s impossible to avoid everything.”
Maresca praised his players for their focus.
“The players, they need to be worried about people inside the club and about me for the credit I give to them, and they are not worried about people that can judge them from outside.
“But inside, I promise you that the players they are happy. The club gives credit to the players. I give credit to the players. So this is for us the most important thing.”
Asked about managing against City with everything that has happened off the pitch, Ipswich boss Gary O’Neil shrugged and said: “No. Just us against City trying to win. Bananas, no bananas, makes no difference.”
Barca In Five-Goal Romp At Betis
Barcelona’s LaLiga juggernaut rolled into Seville, today, and left with the scoreboard smoking, as the leaders beat Real Betis 5-2 to make it nine wins from nine and stretch their blistering league tally to 39 goals.
Yamal lit the fuse with a dazzling opener before Rodri, Gabriel Jesus, Eric Garcia and substitute Dani Olmo joined the party, while Valentin Gomez and ex-Barca Ez Abde replied for Betis, who played much of the second half with 10 men after Facundo Bernal was sent off for headbutting Yamal.
Barca moved to 27 points, five above Atletico who won 1-0 at Espanyol, while third-placed Betis have 19 and Real Madrid sit fourth on 18 before welcoming Sevilla tomorrow (Sunday).
Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini made eight changes from the side that beat Porto 3-2 in the Champions League, resting several key players including Antony, Marc Bartra, Natan and Isco with a midweek European meeting against Feyenoord in mind.
Yet the hosts still made Barca sweat before the visitors eventually found space, rhythm and, after Betis were reduced to 10 men, plenty of room to turn the match into another attacking exhibition.
Match Details
Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute in familiar style, gliding in from the right before whipping a left-footed strike from the edge of the box into the top corner.
Betis levelled in the 27th when Pablo Fornals collected a rebound on the right and clipped a cross into the middle for Gomez, who rose highest to head past goalkeeper Joan Garcia.
Barcelona reclaimed the lead in the 41st minute when Spain captain Rodri powered in a header from Fermin Lopez’s corner.
Betis thought they had equalised three minutes later through Gio Lo Celso’s spectacular swivelling volley from outside the box, but the effort was ruled out after Cucho Hernandez was adjudged to have handled the ball earlier in the build-up.
Second Half Drama
Jesus, signed from Arsenal in the close season, had a goal disallowed for offside shortly after the break but was not kept waiting long.
In the 51st, Yamal darted down the right and squared for the Brazilian to finish neatly inside the area.
A minute later Abde Ezalzoulli pulled one back on the counter, sliding a low shot inside the right post, but Betis’ celebrations turned sour when Bernal was shown a straight red card following a scuffle. Yamal was booked for his part in the altercation.
Barcelona made it 4-2 in the 63rd minute when goalie Alvaro Valles failed to deal with Yamal’s free kick and Pau Cubarsi headed the loose ball back across goal for Garcia to tap in.
Olmo completed the rout in the 81st minute, curling a right-footed shot into the top corner from outside the box.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Haaland (in blue) scores against Ipswich.
RESULTS OF MATCHES PLAYED IN MAJOR EUROPEAN LEAGUES, SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER:
ENGLAND: Premier League
*Everton – Chelsea 0-2
*Brentford – Liverpool 1-2
*Fulham – Hull 1-0
*Manchester City – Ipswich 3-2
*Newcastle – Aston Villa 0-1
FRANCE: Ligue 1
*Strasbourg – PSG 1-3
*Lille – Brest 1-1
*Troyes – Lens 1-3
GERMANY: Bundesliga
*Elversberg – Augsburg 4-3
*Hamburger SV – Stuttgart 1-0
*Schalke – Mainz 0-1
*Union Berlin – Dortmund 0-0
*Werder Bremen – Paderborn 2-2
*Bayern Munich – RB Leipzig 6-1
ITALY: Serie A
*Venezia – Napoli 1-0
*Bologna – Inter 1-3
*AS Roma – Genoa 2-0
NETHERLANDS: Eredivisie
*Den Haag – PSV 2-1
*Telstar – Feyenoord 3-4
*Sparta Rotterdam – Willem II 3-2
SPAIN: LaLiga
*Espanyol – Atl. Madrid 0-1
*Villarreal – Elche 0-0
*Betis – Barcelona 2-5
*Valencia – Ath Bilbao 0-0
