Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo has opened up about the intense conversation head coach Enzo Maresca had with the team at halftime during their exhilarating 5-3 victory over Sunderland.
The Ghanaian forward made a significant impact by scoring twice and providing an assist in a challenging match at the Etihad Stadium, which allowed the Citizens to take a three-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Following the final whistle, Semenyo reflected on the match's progression and the atmosphere within the revamped squad:
When you win in the dying moments, it really does feel exhilarating. Losing, however, tells a different story. It was a tough game, and we knew it wouldn't be easy. Our opponents were very strong and caused us a lot of problems, but we stood firm as a team and secured the three points.
So far, things are going brilliantly, but we won't let our guard down. With everyone heading off to international duty now, we’ll recharge and take part in our matches before we regroup to continue our journey. The start of the season has been fantastic: everyone is settling in, we're crafting a great culture at the club, and we’re aiming to accumulate as many points as possible.
Semenyo also revealed that Maresca was far from pleased with the team's performance in the first half and highlighted a crucial area for improvement:
Maresca was really unhappy. We needed to win our duels — that was the key factor in the game. I knew that if we started winning those battles, we would surely score. Everything changed in the second half: we began to win more duels and eventually found the back of the net.
