Gallows humour was heard from the stands as fans waved inflatable bananas in the first Premier League game at the Etihad Stadium since football was turned upside down with the Manchester City cheating scandal. “You’re going down with the City,” chanted home fans at the travelling Ipswich Town support.

Along with the Premier League anthem being loudly jeered, Gary Neville being called a “w----r” and Erling Haaland scoring goals, this is the new normal at City, at least until their punishment for breaching financial rules is known. They have carried on winning during this state of limbo, a seventh in a row here to maintain their perfect start to the campaign.

Haaland – who hobbled straight down the tunnel at full time after a tackle with Jack Clarke – scored twice while Phil Foden also netted, with Daizen Maeda and Zian Flemming replying for Ipswich. So the only Premier League defeat City have tasted this season has been with their 100-plus charges, which they are appealing against.

City fans celebrated with their blow-up bananas, brought back last week at Anfield and a throwback to the 1980s during other tough times. “City fans showed at Anfield that they haven’t lost their very Mancunian sense of humour,” said ex-City player Imre Varadi, the original inspiration for the bananas and now a supplier of them to the club.

Varadi was in the stands as a guest to watch City win, the demand for his inflatables exceeding supply. About 11,000 were given to fans. “The team I played in loved seeing the craze take off first time around,” he added. “We had been relegated the previous season, but the fans refused to get caught up in the doom and gloom of that disappointment.”

Enzo Maresca has set a record for a new manager winning his first seven league games – this victory took him past Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who won their first six.

City were made to work for their win after Maeda’s equaliser threatened a shock result. Foden opened the scoring on his return from suspension before Maeda’s goal, but Haaland ensured City’s perfect start.

Haaland has now scored in eight consecutive games, his first a powerful header from Mateo Kovacic’s cross, then his second came after skipping around Abdoul Ouattara for his 100th Premier League non-penalty goal. He is the quickest player to reach the landmark, taking just 139 games.

Flemming goal’s came from a 90th-minute penalty after Marc Guéhi had brought down Abdul Fatawu.

More to follow...