Maresca's City top table with five from five, three clear of Arsenal

📰 Pep Guardiola's successor Enzo Maresca has won all five league games to put Manchester City clear at the top. 📌 Key points 📈 City have won all five league games and lead the table on 15 points. 🥈 Arsenal are second on 12 points, with Brighton third on 10. 🧢 Maresca took charge on 29 June after Guardiola stepped down. ⚖️ An independent commission found City guilty of 114 of 115 charges; sanctions are pending. 🗓️ City visit Liverpool at Anfield on 11 October. 📝 What happened 🧢 After Guardiola resigned, City appointed the Italian Enzo Maresca on 29 June. In a season that kicked off a week late because of the 2026 World Cup, they have won their first five league games, and Maresca was shortlisted for the Premier League's Manager of the Month award for September. ⚽ The fifth win came at home to Sunderland on 20 September. Antoine Semenyo scored twice in a 5-3 victory, but Brian Brobbey hit a hat-trick for the visitors. Maresca complained afterwards: "Too many goals! I prefer 1-0," pointing to poor defending at set-pieces. 🥈 On the same weekend, defending champions Arsenal lost 3-0 at Brighton. That sent City into the break three points clear, with Brighton third on 10. Maresca played it down, saying it was "quite early". ⚖️ Off the pitch, the news is heavier. At the end of September the Premier League announced that an independent commission had found City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges over financial rules. Sanctions, which could include a points deduction, will be decided at a separate hearing. City deny wrongdoing and plan to appeal. 📊 By the numbers • City's league record: 5 played, 5 won, 15 points • Top three: City 15, Arsenal 12, Brighton 10 • Financial case: guilty on 114 of 115 charges 🔭 Why it matters Maresca has silenced early doubts about life after Guardiola, but the size of any sanction could reshape the table. Next up is Liverpool away on 11 October, followed by Paris Saint-Germain at home in the Champions League on the 14th.