London, Aug 24 : Erling Haaland once again stole the show at the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City cruised to a 4-1 victory over newly-promoted Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys, back in the Premier League after a 22-year absence, had a glimmer of hope early on, but quickly learned just how harsh life can be in the topflight.

It was a dream start for Ipswich, who stunned the reigning champions when Sammie Szmodics, making his full debut, found the back of the net just seven minutes in. A quick break caught City off guard, and Szmodics kept his composure to slot the ball between Ederson's legs, sending the travelling fans into raptures. For a moment, it felt like the magic of the Premier League had truly returned to the Suffolk club.

But Manchester City's response was as ruthless as it was swift. Within the space of four minutes, Pep Guardiola's men turned the game on its head. Haaland calmly converted a penalty after a VAR review overturned the original decision to book Savinho for simulation.

Moments later, Kevin De Bruyne capitalised on a mix-up at the back, pouncing on hesitation from Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric to fire City into the lead.

Ipswich barely had time to regroup before Haaland struck again. The Norwegian superstar, showing the lethal touch that earned him consecutive Golden Boots, raced past Muric and rifled the ball into the net for City's third goal, all before 20 minutes had passed.

The Tractor Boys had glimpses of hope as they sought a way back, with Leif Davis seemingly brought down by Savinho in the box, but their penalty appeals were waved away. Despite some spirited defending and renewed focus, Ipswich never truly threatened to mount a comeback.

The second half brought with it the return of a City hero, as Ilkay Gundogan made his first appearance since resigning from Barcelona just days before. The Etihad crowd erupted in appreciation for their former captain, who helped guide City to multiple titles before departing for Spain last season.

Just when it seemed like the scoring was done, Haaland capped off the performance with a long-range effort to secure his first hat-trick of the season. The 24-year-old, well-rested after a summer without international duty, looks even sharper than before, signalling danger for the rest of the league.

/IANS