Manchester City played with its food for most of the match on Saturday in a 3-2 victory against Ipswich Town, even after getting a goal in the 19th minute (more on that with the first takeaway below). City didn't come out necessarily sloppy, though a breakdown in the 21st minute led to the match being closer than it should have been for far too long.
Still, after destroying Liverpool last weekend and then basically getting destroyed by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday (it was 4-2, but we all know what really happened), the Blues could have done with an easy match. That didn't unfold as many expected.
A perfect start to the 2026/27 Premier League play continues, however, and is literally as good as it can get. Maybe the match wasn't as beautiful as it could have been, but it definitely made most non-City fans unhappy.
Immediate takeaways from Manchester City's victory against Ipswich Town
Is was good to have Phil Foden back
Foden had been serving a three-match ban for violent contact against Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, but Foden also hadn't scored since December. In the 19th minute, Jeremy Doku brilliantly hit a cross to Foden, who did his job and put it in the back of the net.
The relief was obvious and the celebration genuine. For Phil Foden, not only was he overjoyed to give his club the lead, but he was also happy to end a 10-month drought without scoring a goal. Doku celebrated with him as if the two friends hadn't seen each other in decades.
Rest is good and needed
The players who didn't start the match would make up another excellent club were they not already employed by Manchester City. The substitutes, as needed, included Elliot Anderson, Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Enzo Fernandez, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Josko Gvardiol. The intent was to give those players a break. (Maresca did sub freely late in the second half, though.)
After returning from the international break (where nothing important happened, wink wink), City has played three matches in a week and has yet another four before October ends. If not playing full-go against a newly promoted Ipswich means victory but not brilliance at times, then so be it.
1897 will soon be dead (hopefully)
City's seventh straight victory to begin league play is the first time since 1897 that has happened. The club has never won eight straight. That means if the Blues can squeak past Aston Villa on October 24, the current club will hold the record for the most consecutive wins at the start of a season.
The 1897 club had a draw in its eighth league match against that feisty bunch from Newton Heath. That is the group that would eventually become Manchester United.
The cloud remains
All the players can do is keep going on the pitch and winning matches, but eventually the sanctions will be announced by the Premier League, and the club will be punished for allegedly breaking financial fair play rules. Man City winning is obviously delightful, but the wait is real.
Does it detract from the club refusing to lose in league play so far? Not temporarily after the joy of winning a match, but conversations will quickly turn negative about what will happen to the club.
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