Ipswich 0-6 Man City: Match report & 4 talking points from Portman Road savaging | OneFootball

Manchester City put the disappointment of their midweek capitulation against Brentford behind them to inflict a punishing 6-0 defeat on Ipswich Town.

The champions were absolutely outstanding from the first whistle, piecing together a statement performance that will undoubtedly leave many wondering how on earth they had ever lost six Premier League games in eight at one stage.

Two goals from Phil Foden and a low Mateo Kovacic rocket had City 3-0 up and cruising at half-time, and they kept their foot on the gas in the second half to add to their tally through Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and James McAtee.

How the game unfolded

City hit their stride almost immediately, stroking the ball around with ease against their relegation-threatened opponents.

It didn't take long for Erling Haaland to draw a superb save from Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton, though the Norwegian will have been frustrated to have put his effort within the 29-year-old's grasp.

Omari Hutchinson fired over from a rare foray forward from Ipswich, but they then fell behind as Phil Foden continued his recent hot streak in front of goal. Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne were the architects, before some neat footwork from Foden allowed him to stab the ball home.

Mateo Kovacic blazed an effort high over the bar before making it two minutes later - the Croatian drilling superbly into the bottom corner after more good work from Doku and Foden.

The game was over as a contest when Foden made it three from close range, squirming home a first-time shot under Walton's body from De Bruyne's centre, but City continued to pour forward after the interval.

The brilliant Doku made it four, via a slight deflection off Dara O'Shea, before he turned provider once more, this time for Haaland, who celebrated his new nine-and-a-half-year contract with a clipped finish.

Substitute James McAtee made it six after being left unmarked in Ipswich's penalty area, looping a header over the stranded Walton.

Check out the player ratings from Ipswich 0-6 Man City here.

City find their confidence and swagger

Guardiola must wonder where this variation of City have been / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

It was always a question of when, not if, Manchester City would make everything click and tear somebody apart that wasn't League Two Salford City.

The 4-1 win over West Ham United at the start of year suggested, on paper at least, that the champions had started to find their magic formula then, but truth be told they weren't actually that good against the Hammers despite scoring four.

You did, however, sense something big was on the horizon, and it turns out the opportunity to pulverise Ipswich in front of Ed Sheeran was what City had been waiting for.

Here, they were untouchable. At the races from minute one, they sauntered forward at will, playing quick but neat intricate football, and didn't ever allow the home crowd to become a factor in the game. Indeed, there was an eerie silence for most of the afternoon as both sets of supporters just absorbed what was a mesmerising display of attacking football.

Foden hits his stride, Doku danger more regular

Foden's goal tally has exploded in City's last two games / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

Foden spent the first half-dozen games of the 2024/25 season watching City from the bench, much to the disappointment of many Fantasy Premier League players. The 24-year-old then spent the next three months struggling to make an impression as City unfathomably forgot to how play football.

So it's perhaps no coincidence that City's gradual uptick in form has coincided with Foden's sharpness returning, particularly in front of goal. A scorer of just a single Premier League goal before the turn of the year, Foden now has five in his last three outings. His first-half brace here wasn't flashy, just a result of being street smart and knowing where to be at exactly the right moment.

With Foden shining on the right, there was also another beacon of sunshine operating down the left: the electrifyingly quick Jeremy Doku. His performance in the 8-0 FA Cup mauling of Salford City was perhaps the Belgian's warning that quality showings are going to become more and more frequent, rather than coming in fits and starts.

Ben Johnson didn't really have any idea of how to handle Doku, who either charged to the byline with ease or cut inside as if the former West Ham defender wasn't there, and it was a surprise to nobody when he fired home City's fourth soon after the interval.

Omar Marmoush will add to an impressive City attack / Alexander Hassenstein/GettyImages

When City play like this, it's hard to fathom why they might be spending close to £70m to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush.

The Egyptian has enjoyed a breakout season in Germany, scoring 15 times and assisting 10 more in 17 Bundesliga appearances, and will undoubtedly provide respite for Erling Haaland, who can't be expected to play each and every week.

But a player of Marmoush's quality, when City have Haaland, Foden, Doku, Savinho, Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva to trouble opposition defences? That's just greedy, Jeremy.

Ipswich have a togetherness that may well keep them afloat / BEN STANSALL/GettyImages

Ipswich heads understandably bowed towards the end of the first half at Portman Road, knowing they had been completely outclassed and, in all likelihood, were already out of the game.

But Kieran McKenna's side need not dwell on such a performance, simply because it's not a reflection of their standing at this level. It would be hyperbole to suggest City were back to their absolute peak Pep Guardiola levels, but they certainly weren't a millions miles away in East Anglia. A lot of teams would have folded in this situation, let alone a side who have enjoyed back-to-back promotions.

Containing City and springing forward on the counter was Ipswich's game plan and that was absolutely the right thing to do. They had their moments, too, with Liam Delap showing his ability to collect the ball and drive forward at pace on more than one occasion, but must simply accept that City generally operate on a completely different planet.