Manchester City sent a message to Arsenal with a chaotic victory that puts Enzo Maresca's side three points clear at the top during the three-week international break.
Until the Premier League resumes on 10 October, City can enjoy their status while Mikel Arteta's champions have to stew after Saturday's 3-0 humbling at Brighton.
Maresca will review this match because City lacked control and may not have enjoyed a 5-3 win that featured two Antoine Semenyo goals, a Brian Brobbey hat-trick for Sunderland, and further strikes from Enzo Fernández, Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland.
Maresca's side are entertaining for the neutral and heart-palpitating for the manager. When the normally calm Rúben Dias hit the ball towards his own goal and scrambled to clear it off the line, this was City in microcosm against Régis Le Bris' potent visitors. The conclusion from the opening phase of the season, though, is that City will compete with the Gunners to the end of the title race, providing they become less fragile.
Sunderland conceded first by allowing a break from a corner that ended with Dayann Methalie chopping down Iliman Ndiaye. Next came a moment of Fernández skill from a free-kick along the right-hand edge of the box. City's £125m deadline-day signing from Chelsea asked Ndiaye to alter his position in the area, then guided the ball straight home on the near side. His instruction to the winger hoodwinked Robin Roefs, Sunderland's goalkeeper, who ended up on his backside. It was Fernández's first goal since his equaliser in the World Cup semi-final for Argentina against England.
Having been excellent, City fell asleep seconds later. Enzo Le Fée is one of Sunderland's star acts, and the pinpoint pass into Brobbey that split Dias and Matheus Nunes showed why. The No 9's first touch was smart, allowing him to then beat the onrushing Gianluigi Donnarumma with the outside of his right boot.
Maresca had billed the contest as City's toughest so far, and you saw now that this was not regulation respectful manager-speak. Le Bris' side pinged the ball about and were quick to fire it into the danger area. Yet when feeling too comfortable while playing out from the back, City pounced again. Kevin Danso's loose pass from his area was nab
