Erling Haaland scored his 300th club goal as City maintained their perfect Premier League start under Enzo Maresca with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Coventry.
It was considerably less comfortable than many might have expected against the newly-promoted visitors, but City did enough to make it three wins from three.
Haaland’s 26th-minute header proved the difference on an afternoon which also brought debuts for Deadline Day arrivals Enzo Fernández and Iliman Ndiaye.
Haaland reaches another landmark
There was drama before a ball had even been kicked.
Nico O’Reilly was named in the starting XI but suffered a back problem during the warm-up, meaning Fernández was promoted from the bench for an unexpected City debut.
Coventry then offered an early warning when Taiwo Awoniyi intercepted a loose Antoine Semenyo pass and raced through, only to shoot wide.
City gradually settled. Haaland was denied by Carl Rushworth before Rayan Cherki struck the post following a Fernández pass.
Three minutes later came the breakthrough.
Fernández released Semenyo down the right, and his cross was met by Haaland, who headed home his third Premier League goal of the season.
It was also the Norwegian’s 300th goal in club football and his 20th headed Premier League goal for City, taking him beyond Sergio Agüero’s previous club record.
Haaland should have had another before half-time, but Rushworth denied him after Cherki had played him through.
City thought they had finally found the second after the break when Fernández squared for Haaland to tap in, only for the flag to go up for offside.
And that failure to kill the game eventually gave Coventry hope. Loum Tchaouna forced a good save from Gianluigi Donnarumma before substitute Ellis Simms was denied from close range with ten minutes remaining.
At the other end, Phil Foden saw an effort cleared off the line after good work from Ndiaye, who was later forced off after receiving treatment. City survived the late pressure and took the three points.
It wasn’t the flowing performance seen at Crystal Palace last weekend, and Maresca will know his side should have made the afternoon considerably easier.
But nine points from nine is impossible to argue with. And when City needed somebody to settle an awkward afternoon, Haaland once again provided the answer.
City: Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Guéhi, Gvardiol; Anderson, Fernández (Bouaddi 76); Semenyo, Cherki (Foden 66), Ndiaye (McAidoo 87); Haaland.
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