Manchester City v Ipswich player ratings: Four score 8/10 as Erling Haaland nets another hat-trick - gallery

Manchester City beat Ipswich Town 4-1 on Saturday to ensure their first home game of the new season was a memorable afternoon for their supporters.

Another Erling Haaland hat-trick might not live long in the memory, but the return of Ilkay Gundogan certainly will, with the German introduced in the second half just a day after re-signing for the champions.

City were already in firm control of the game by that point, with Kevin De Bruyne also on target for City on Saturday, in addition to Haaland’s goal haul.

But it was Ipswich who took a shock lead in the seventh minute when midfielder Sammy Szmodics fastened onto a well-timed pass behind the City backline and slotted through the legs of Ederson. The Brazilian keeper managed to get a touch on the ball but couldn’t prevent it from trickling over the line.

The visitors' lead didn’t last long, though. In fact, within seven minutes Ipswich trailed by two. Left-back Leif Davis committed the first of series of calamitous defensive errors when he slid in and caught Savinho in the box, resulting in a penalty being awarded following a pitchside review from referee Sam Allison.

Haaland slotted the ball home soon after, as a slightly relieved City were back on level terms. And they had the lead almost immediately as Ipswich keeper Arijanet Muric, returning to his former club, was tackled by Savinho on the edge of the area. As the Kosovan flailed on the ground, De Bruyne stroked the ball into the back of the empty net.

The Belgian then lofted a brilliantly weighted pass into the path of Haaland, who got to the ball just ahead of Muric, nodded it past him, and then calmly converted. City don’t need a helping hand when it comes to establishing leads at home, but Ipswich gifted them three in the first 16 minutes.

After the pulsating start, the pace soon settled and City controlled the flow of proceedings. De Bruyne was pulling the strings and nearly broke the crossbar with a sublime strike from distance in the 29th minute. It came less than a minute after Rico Lewis had also rattled the woodwork, when the teenager opted for power inside the box when a placed finish would have been a more advisable option.

The second period followed a similar pattern of City dominating the ball - the Blues ended the game with 77 percent of possession. There were few chances as Ipswich defended resolutely, and Muric tried to make up for his early blunders by producing a top-drawer save to keep out Haaland’s header.

But he could do nothing in the final stages as the striker swivelled on the ball and shot from distance into the bottom corner. Yet, it was Gundogan’s introduction in the 71st minute that drew the biggest cheer of the afternoon. The new season has a very familiar feel to it.

Here’s how we rated the City players...