'It was a tough battle' - Antoine Semenyo relishes Man City victory

City maintained their perfect start to the campaign and moved three points clear at the top of the table, but they were made to work hard for the result.

Enzo Fernandez gave City an early lead with a clever free-kick from a tight angle before Brian Brobbey levelled for Sunderland.

Rayan Cherki restored City's advantage, only for Brobbey to score again as the visitors twice fought back.

Semenyo then made the difference, scoring either side of half-time to put City 4-2 ahead. Brobbey completed his hat-trick to set up a tense finish, but Erling Haaland settled the contest with City's fifth goal.

The result completed Haaland's scoring record against every Premier League opponent he has faced as a City player.

Semenyo admitted the dramatic nature of the match made it an enjoyable contest, provided City were the team celebrating at the final whistle.

"Yeah, if you're winning at the end, you definitely enjoy it. If you lose, not so much," Semenyo said.

"We held on together as a team and we got the three points. It's definitely an enjoyable watch. We're just happy we got the three points at the end of the day."

City have now won every match so far this season, but Semenyo knows there is no room for complacency.

"It's been good so far. We don't want to get too complacent," he said. "International break now so everyone will recharge and go to their games. We will come back from the international break and go again."

Semenyo also praised the impact of Enzo Maresca and the atmosphere being created within the squad.

"It's been amazing. He (Enzo Maresca) has come in and everyone is adjusting and we're building a nice culture," he said. "We're hoping we can collect as many points as we can."

The City winger also acknowledged Sunderland's contribution to an entertaining match, saying the visitors made life difficult for the league leaders.

"It was a tough battle today. We knew it would be hard," Semenyo said.

"They're a very good team and they made it difficult for us in so many periods of the game. They've made it tough against every team they've played so far.

"We knew it would be a tough one. We're just happy with the three points."

Manchester City will return to Premier League action after the international break when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday, 11 October.