Soccer-Fernandez impresses on debut as Haaland keeps Man City perfect

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Coventry City - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - September 5, 2026 Manchester City's Enzo Fernandez shoots at goal REUTERS/Phil Noble

MANCHESTER, England, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Manchester City's post-Rodri era ⁠is still in its infancy but Enzo Fernandez offered a tantalising glimpse of the future on Saturday when the Argentine marked ⁠his surprise debut by helping to fire City to a 1-0 Premier League win over Coventry City.

Fernandez, signed from ‌Chelsea on transfer deadline day for a British record-equalling 125 million pounds ($169.01 million), was not expecting to start until Nico O'Reilly suffered a back problem during the warm-up.

Thrown into the lineup at the last minute, the Argentina midfielder responded with a composed and influential display that underlined why City moved quickly to secure his signature.

The 25-year-old produced the ​decisive moment in the 26th minute, sending a perfectly weighted pass into the path ⁠of Antoine Semenyo. The winger's cross sailed beyond the goalkeeper ⁠and Erling Haaland powered a header into the empty net for his third league goal of the season.

It was another landmark strike ⁠for ‌the Norwegian, who reached 300 club career goals and moved clear as the Manchester City player with the most headed goals in Premier League history, with 20.

Yet on an afternoon full of possession and pressure from Enzo Maresca's team, Fernandez was one of the players ⁠who generated the most excitement.

While questions have lingered over how City would cope ​without midfield anchor Rodri, the new partnership of ‌Fernandez and Elliot Anderson already appears capable of giving opponents a different set of problems.

Fernandez repeatedly pierced Coventry's defensive lines ⁠with progressive passes, while ​Anderson dictated the tempo. Together they formed the heartbeat of a City side that had 803 completed passes, their highest since a 2-0 win over Sheffield United in 2023.

"I really liked today for different reasons," Maresca said. "First half we could have scored one or two more, but we worked together to win so I ⁠am happy.

"It is difficult against teams in a low block. I felt we ​dealt very well with that. Not all the performances are going to be nice, you also need ugly moments."

Fernandez's quality was evident beyond his assist. He launched another dangerous attack with a clever run through the middle before feeding Rayan Cherki, whose effort came back off the woodwork.

The Argentine ⁠then thought he had created a second goal for Haaland, only for the move to be ruled out because Fernandez had strayed offside before hooking the ball across the area.

His understanding with Cherki was particularly eye-catching. Despite having barely trained together, the pair frequently combined in tight spaces and showed flashes of a creative partnership that could become one of City's most potent weapons this season.

Maresca revealed afterwards that Fernandez had learned ​only minutes before kickoff that he would be making his debut.

"In warm-up Nico O'Reilly felt something ⁠in his back, not serious," he said. "Enzo came in, his first appearance in front of the home fans was ideal."

While the victory was not as ​emphatic as many expected against promoted Coventry, with City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma making some ‌terrific saves, it kept Maresca's men perfect with nine points from three ​games.

More importantly, it suggested that the club's rebuilt midfield is beginning to take shape, with Fernandez and Anderson offering fresh evidence that City remain well equipped for the next phase of their evolution.

($1 = 0.7396 pounds)

(Reporting by Lori Ewing; editing by Clare Fallon)

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足球 - 英超联赛 - 曼城对阵考文垂 - 英国曼彻斯特伊蒂哈德球场 - 2026年9月5日 曼城球员恩佐·费尔南德斯射门 路透社/菲尔·诺布尔

英格兰曼彻斯特，9 月 5 日（路透社）——曼城后罗德里时代仍处于起步阶段，但恩佐·费尔南德斯周六的表现令人眼前一亮，这位阿根廷球员在他的惊喜首秀中帮助曼城在英超联赛中以 1-0 战胜考文垂城。

费尔南德斯在转会截止日当天以 1.25 亿英镑（1.6901 亿美元）的身价从切尔西加盟，追平了英国转会费纪录。他原本预计不会首发，直到尼科·奥莱利在热身时背部受伤。

阿根廷中场球员在最后一刻被临时安排进首发阵容，但他沉着冷静、极具影响力的表现证明了曼城迅速签下他的原因。

这位25岁的球员在第26分钟打入了决定性一球，他送出一记恰到好处的传球，找到了安托万·塞梅尼奥。这位边锋的传中球越过了门将，埃尔林·哈兰德头球攻门，将球顶入空门，打进了他本赛季的第三粒联赛进球。

对于这位挪威人来说，这是又一个具有里程碑意义的进球，他的俱乐部生涯进球数达到了 300 个，并且以 20 个头球进球遥遥领先，成为曼城队史上英超联赛头球进球最多的球员。

然而，在恩佐·马雷斯卡的球队控球和施压的整个下午，费尔南德斯是引起最多兴奋的球员之一。

尽管人们一直质疑曼城在失去中场核心罗德里后将如何应对，但费尔南德斯和埃利奥特·安德森的新搭档似乎已经能够给对手带来一系列不同的问题。

费尔南德斯凭借精准的长传不断撕开考文垂的防线，而安德森则掌控着比赛节奏。他们二人联手构成了曼城队的进攻核心，全场比赛曼城完成了803次传球，这是自2023年2-0战胜谢菲尔德联队以来最高的单场传球次数。

“我今天很喜欢这场比赛，原因有很多，”马雷斯卡说。“上半场我们本可以再进一两个球，但我们齐心协力赢得了比赛，所以我很高兴。”

“对阵采用密集防守的球队很困难。我觉得我们应对得很好。比赛不可能总是完美无瑕，也会有糟糕的时刻。”

费尔南德斯的实力远不止一次助攻。他随后又发动了一次极具威胁的进攻，一次巧妙的中路突破后传球给雷扬·切尔基，后者的射门击中门框弹出。

随后，这位阿根廷球员以为自己为哈兰德创造了第二个进球机会，但由于费尔南德斯在将球勾过禁区之前越位，这次进攻被判​​无效。

他和切尔基之间的默契尤其引人注目。尽管两人几乎没有一起训练过，但他们经常在狭小的空间内配合默契，展现出极强的创造力，这或许会成为曼城本赛季最强大的武器之一。

马雷斯卡随后透露，费尔南德斯在比赛开始前几分钟才知道自己将迎来首秀。

“热身时，尼科·奥莱利感觉背部有点不舒服，但并不严重，”他说。“恩佐替补上场，他在主场球迷面前的首秀非常完美。”

尽管对阵升班马考文垂的胜利并不像许多人预期的那样酣畅淋漓，曼城门将吉安路易吉·多纳鲁马也做出了一些精彩的扑救，但这场胜利仍然让马雷斯卡的球队保持了三战全胜的完美战绩，积9分。

更重要的是，这表明俱乐部重建的中场开始成形，费尔南德斯和安德森的表现再次证明，曼城已经为下一阶段的发展做好了充分准备。

（1美元=0.7396英镑）

（Lori Ewing报道；Clare Fallon编辑）

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