Manchester City 1-0 Coventry City: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
Premier League Matchday 3 · Saturday 5 September 2026 · Etihad Stadium, Manchester · referee P. Tierney · full time
Full time: Manchester City 1-0 Coventry City
Manchester City won 1-0 at home to Coventry City in Premier League Matchday 3 on Saturday 5 September 2026. The goals: Erling Haaland 26'.
How Manchester City won it
The opening goal came in the 26th minute: Erling Haaland for Manchester City, set up by Antoine Semenyo.
It was 1-0 at half-time, and nothing changed after the break.
The referee, P. Tierney, showed 3 yellow cards: 1 to Manchester City and 2 to Coventry City.
Manchester City: E. Maresca, 4-2-3-1 · Coventry City: F. Lampard, 3-4-2-1.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 0.75 for Manchester City and 1.88 for Coventry City.
Coventry City left about 1.9 goals' worth of chances on the pitch.
Coventry City created the better chances, 1.88 xG to 0.75, and still lost. On chances alone, the result could easily have gone the other way.
Manchester City had 4 shots on target, Coventry City 3.
Manchester City had 78% of the ball and turned it into the win.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Manchester City came into it with 5 Premier League matches played, scoring 2.6 and conceding 1.0 a match, with 2.00 expected goals for and 1.11 against, and had won 100% of their matches.
Coventry City came into it with 5 Premier League matches played, scoring 0.2 and conceding 2.0 a match, with 0.84 expected goals for and 1.70 against, and had won 20% of their matches.
Manchester City vs Coventry City: the match in numbers
| Manchester City | Match statistics | Coventry City |
|---|---|---|
| 78% | Ball possession | 22% |
| 0.75 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.88 |
| 15 | Total shots | 12 |
| 4 | Shots on target | 3 |
| 3 | Big chances | 3 |
| 819 | Total passes | 220 |
| 92% | Pass accuracy | 64% |
| 4 | Corners | 5 |
| 7 | Fouls | 17 |
| 5 | Offsides | 2 |
| 13 | Tackles | 16 |
| 3 | Saves | 2 |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 2 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), rated 8.1 by Sportmonks.
Manchester City
- Elliot Anderson 8.1
- Rayan Cherki 7.8
- Erling Haaland 7.6 1 goal
- Gianluigi Donnarumma 7.6
- Marc Guéhi 7.4
Coventry City
- Bobby Thomas 7.8
- Carl Rushworth 7.0
- Loum Tchaouna 6.9
- Jay Dasilva 6.8
- Matt Grimes 6.8
The lowest-rated starter was Ephron Mason-Clark at 6.2. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Manchester City: Liverpool vs Manchester City Sunday 11 October 2026 · Premier League
- Coventry City: Coventry City vs Newcastle United Monday 12 October 2026 · Premier League
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Manchester City vs Coventry City
What was the score in Manchester City vs Coventry City?
Manchester City 1-0 Coventry City (half-time 1-0), Premier League, Saturday 5 September 2026.
Who scored in Manchester City vs Coventry City?
Erling Haaland 26'.
Did Moneyball predict Manchester City vs Coventry City correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Manchester City vs Coventry City?
Elliot Anderson, rated 8.1 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Manchester City vs Coventry City?
P. Tierney.
Every match, before and after
Moneyball Odds writes a preview with its estimate before every match of Europe's top five leagues and the European cups, then marks it against the result, hits and misses alike.
Moneyball Odds is a statistical analysis site, not a bookmaker. No model predicts football reliably. For readers aged 18 and over.