Fernandez impresses on debut as Haaland keeps Manchester City perfect

Enzo Fernandez had only minutes to prepare for his Manchester City debut, but he quickly looked at home in the team’s post-Rodri midfield. His pass created the only goal in a 1-0 Premier League victory over Coventry City.

Fernandez had not expected to start until Nico O’Reilly felt a problem in his back during the warm-up. The Argentine then delivered a composed performance after being thrown into the lineup. In the 26th minute, he slipped a precisely weighted pass into Antoine Semenyo’s path. Semenyo crossed beyond the goalkeeper, allowing Erling Haaland to head into an empty net.

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I really liked today for different reasons.

The goal brought Haaland to 300 club career goals and gave him 20 headed Premier League goals for Manchester City, more than any other player in the club’s history. Fernandez almost created another for Haaland, but that move was ruled out after he had strayed offside. He also started an attack with a run through the middle before finding Rayan Cherki, whose effort struck the woodwork.

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Not all the performances are going to be nice, you also need ugly moments.

His combinations with Cherki stood out despite their limited time training together. Fernandez and Elliot Anderson also formed an effective midfield partnership, with Fernandez breaking defensive lines through progressive passing and Anderson controlling the tempo. City completed 803 passes, their highest total since a 2-0 win over Sheffield United in 2023.

Manager Enzo Maresca said City had handled Coventry’s low defensive block well, even if the performance was not always attractive. “Not all the performances are going to be nice, you also need ugly moments,” he said. Maresca added that O’Reilly’s injury was not serious and called Fernandez’s first appearance in front of the home fans ideal.

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In warm-up Nico O’Reilly felt something in his back, not serious.