Fernandez impresses on debut as Haaland keeps Man City perfect

MANCHESTER, England, Sept 5 : 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