Manchester City beat visitors Coventry City 1-0 this Saturday afternoon in the third round of the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium.
Enzo Maresca's side owe the win to their top scorer, Norway's Erling Haaland, who headed home in the 26th minute.
Antoine Semenyo whipped in a precise cross from the right flank, and the Norwegian rose at the far post to power it into the net.
Coventry nearly grabbed an early lead through Tatsuhiro Onoe in the 8th minute, but his shot from a one-on-one drifted past the left post of City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian had survived a scare moments earlier in the 6th minute, when the ball almost slipped behind him into the net.
City ran the first half. They dominated with 83% possession and created several chances, most notably a Rayan Cherki strike that hit the post in the 23rd minute. Coventry goalkeeper Carl Rushworth also denied two powerful Haaland efforts in the 16th and 44th minutes.
The pressure continued after the break, though City could not add a second. Coventry gradually improved and threatened more than once, most notably through a Luo Chaonya shot that Donnarumma saved in the 67th minute, then a close-range effort from Ellis Simms that the Italian keeper stopped with his face in the 78th minute.
Both teams turned to the bench in the second half. Phil Foden replaced Cherki in the 65th minute, while Coventry threw on Chaonya, Simms and Oniki in a bid to turn the result around. City's defence held firm until the end.
The win takes City to 9 points from three matches and, for now, top of the table. Coventry remain pointless after three straight defeats to start the season.