Manchester City roundup: five wins from five and Anfield next

Manchester City head into October top of the Premier League with a perfect record — and no shortage of talking points away from the pitch.

Perfect start at the top

According to the Premier League table, City have played five, won five and collected 15 points, scoring 13 goals and conceding five for a plus-eight goal difference. Their form line reads WWWWW, and no other Premier League side has matched that start. Arsenal sit second on 12 points, with Brighton & Hove Albion third on 10.

The results behind the run

• Manchester City 5-3 Sunderland AFC
• Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City
• Manchester City 1-0 Coventry City

BBC Sport has also reported that the winning start was maintained with a narrow victory over Charlton.

Who is scoring the goals

According to the top scorer data, Erling Haaland sits at the top of the list — credited under two entries, with three goals as 'E. Haaland' and two as 'Erling Haaland'. R. Cherki and Antoine Semenyo are both credited with two, while Rayan Cherki, Enzo Fernández, J. Gvardiol and M. Guehi have one apiece.

The story off the pitch

The backdrop is less serene. BBC Sport has reported on a guilty verdict in the case involving the club, with supporters facing up to that reality. The same outlet has reported that the City chairman is confident the club will prove its innocence, that Rodri believes in the club's innocence, and that other clubs are seeking legal advice over possible compensation. A further BBC Sport report suggests there is no Premier League appetite to strip City of titles, though the threat remains.

Anfield next, then Ipswich at home

City travel to Liverpool on 11 October at Anfield, where the latest bookmaker odds via api_football (as of 20 September) make the visitors favourites at 2.2 — a bookmaker-derived implied probability of 43%. Liverpool are priced at 2.99 (31% implied) and the draw at 3.69 (26% implied). Those figures are derived from prices rather than predictions. On FanTribe, a City win at Anfield is worth 44 points, a Liverpool win 60 and a draw 74.

Ipswich Town visit the Etihad on 17 October, where the market leans more heavily to the home side: Manchester City are favourites at 1.2 (79% implied), with the draw at 7.2 (13%) and Ipswich at 12.75 (8%). FanTribe's points on offer reflect that — 24 points for a City win, 144 for a draw and 255 for an Ipswich win.

FanTribe corner

The Manchester City community on FanTribe currently stands at 23 members and counting. If the trip to Anfield or the visit of Ipswich has you forming a prediction, join up and back your judgement with points.