Manchester City continued their flawless start to the Premier League season, securing a dramatic 2-1 victory over Sheffield United with Rodri’s decisive strike after Erling Haaland both scored and missed a penalty for the champions on Sunday.
In the first half, Haaland’s spot-kick hit the post, but he later made amends by heading City into the lead after halftime at Bramall Lane.
Despite City’s dominance, Jayden Bogle managed to equalize for Sheffield United against the run of play with just five minutes left. However, Rodri’s powerful strike three minutes later spared City from squandering the points, allowing Pep Guardiola’s side to claim their third successive victory and claim the top spot in the league table.
Remarkably, Guardiola achieved this victory from a distance, as he is recovering from back surgery in Barcelona. His assistant, Juanma Lillo, took charge of the team and will continue to do so for their upcoming clash with Fulham.
This win marked a significant milestone for Guardiola, who has now achieved 200 league wins with City in just 269 games, surpassing the previous Premier League record of 326 matches set by Jose Mourinho in 2020.
City’s strong start to the season sends a clear message to their title contenders, demonstrating that their hunger for success remains undiminished despite their previous treble-winning season.
City missed an opportunity to take the lead in the 36th minute when Haaland’s penalty was denied by the post. Although Haaland’s miss marked his first penalty failure in the Premier League after converting his previous seven, he later made up for it with a well-timed header in the 63rd minute, capitalizing on Jack Grealish’s delivery.
While Blades substitute Bogle briefly levelled the score in the 85th minute, Rodri’s decisive goal secured City’s victory three minutes later.
The midfielder’s strike from outside the United area found the top corner of the net, redeeming Kyle Walker’s earlier mistake.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa triumphed 3-1 against Burnley as Matty Cash’s brace extended the team’s impressive goal-scoring spree under Unai Emery’s management.
Following their 5-1 loss to Newcastle in the season opener, Villa bounced back by thrashing Everton 4-0 and Hibernian 5-0, tallying a total of 12 goals in three games.
Burnley suffered their second defeat of the season, with Lyle Foster becoming the first South African to score a Premier League goal since 2013.
Diaby’s clinical finish ensured that Villa maintained control over the match, ending Burnley’s attempted comeback.
Later on Sunday, Newcastle and Liverpool faced off at St James’ Park in an intriguing clash between two teams with aspirations for the title.
