Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Antoine Semenyo is confident he has the attributes to deputise for Erling Haaland as Manchester City’s striker if required, following his brace against Sunderland.
Semenyo netted either side of half-time as City claimed a thrilling 5-3 victory over the Black Cats on Sunday, maintaining their 100% Premier League record going into the international break.
The Ghanaian also laid on an assist for Rayan Cherki, scoring and assisting in the same Premier League game for the fourth time in his career, and the second as a City player.
Since joining from Bournemouth in January, the Ghana international has scored 13 goals in 34 appearances for City in all competitions – only Haaland (19 goals in 32 games) has outscored him in that span.
In that same time, Semenyo has overperformed his expected goals (xG) total of 7.74 by a greater margin than any other City player (+5.26), while his conversion rate of 20.6% is slightly better than Haaland’s 20.4%.
With City not signing another recognised striker in the summer transfer window, some have suggested Semenyo may have to deputise as a number nine at some point this season, and he is up for the challenge.
“I’ve heard about his backup striker thing. I don’t know where it’s come from! But, yes, if I need to, then I’ll do it. I’ve no problem with doing that,” he said, as quoted by ESPN.
“I think that [finishing] just comes naturally. Once I’m in front of the goal, I know it doesn’t move. So as long as I hit it in the corner with a good connection, I know it will go in.”
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 20, 2026
Another City attacker who has enjoyed an outstanding start to the season is Cherki, who showed quick feet inside the Sunderland area to score City’s second goal on Sunday.
The Frenchman’s six goal involvements in all competitions this season (four goals, two assists) are the second-most of any City player, behind Haaland (seven goals).
“I’m very happy because it was the goal to make it 2-1. I needed to help my team-mates,” Cherki told City’s website. “I want to give them good passes.
“I need to score a lot of goals for my team. I love the fans. And I think the fans saw a big game, so I’m very happy about that.”
City now have three weeks off before travelling to Anfield to face Liverpool in their next Premier League game on October 11, having started a top-flight season with five straight wins for only the fifth time (also 1912-13, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2023-24).
“Everyone feels good,” Semenyo said of the mood around Enzo Maresca’s squad.
“It’s where we want to be, but we’re not going to get too complacent or too relaxed. We know there are a lot more games to go.
“We just want to continue winning; we just have to keep going. It’s seven or eight weeks we’ve been together now, so it’s not been too long, but we’re doing well. We’re winning our games, and we’ll keep improving.”
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