Enzo Maresca matches Premier League record with six straight wins at Manchester City

Enzo Maresca is one win away from a Premier League mark no manager has set: seven straight victories to begin a spell in charge of a club. Manchester City say Sunday’s 3-0 win at Liverpool gave their new manager six wins from his first six league games, matching the competition record.

Maresca took over from Pep Guardiola this summer. His latest victory came at Anfield, where City say they had won just three league games since the turn of the century before Sunday. A win over Ipswich Town next Saturday would put Maresca alone at the top of the Premier League’s list for the best start to a managerial reign.

The six victories have given City 18 points and, according to the club, a three-point lead at the top of the table. They have scored 16 goals and conceded five in those league games. Before beating Liverpool, City had defeated Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Sunderland in the league; the club also lists Coventry City among their earlier wins.

Maresca’s start puts him alongside three managers who also won their first six Premier League games at a club, according to City. Guardiola achieved the feat at City in 2016/17, Carlo Ancelotti did so after joining Chelsea in 2009/10, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer began his Manchester United tenure with six wins after taking charge in December 2018.

The comparison is about consecutive wins, not every unbeaten start. City point out that Joe Mercer went unbeaten in his first seven league matches in 1965, but that run included three draws. Les McDowall’s first 10 league games in 1950 were also unbeaten, with seven wins and three draws.

City have also won in the Champions League against Porto and in the Carabao Cup against Norwich City during Maresca’s opening spell. But the immediate target is clear: beat Ipswich, and Maresca will turn a record-equalling beginning into a new Premier League benchmark.