The Ghana international scored at the Etihad Stadium in the 43rd and 57th minutes, his first goals of the campaign, in a game that had already produced five goals before the break. Enzo Fernández, Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland scored City's other three, while Brian Brobbey hit a hat-trick for Sunderland.
Speaking to City's official website after the match, Semenyo took a relaxed view of the chaos:
“Yeah if you're winning at the end, you definitely enjoy it, if you lose, not so much,” he began.
“We held on together as a team and we got the three points. It's definitely an enjoyable watch. We're just happy we got the three points at the end of the day.”
The win means City have won all five league games, taking them to 15 points and three clear of Arsenal after Arsenal lost at Brighton on Saturday. Haaland's goal was his first against Sunderland, and it means he has now found the net against every Premier League side he has met since joining City.
Semenyo has become a regular source of big moments since joining from Bournemouth in January for a reported £65 million. He scored the only goal of the FA Cup final against Chelsea in May, as City completed a domestic cup double after winning the League Cup, and he also has a connection with the opposition: he spent time on loan at Sunderland in 2020. On what comes next, he said:
“It's been good so far. We don't want to get too complacent. International break now so everyone will recharge and go to their games. We will come back from the international break and go again.”
City's start has come under a new manager. Maresca was appointed in June to succeed Pep Guardiola, who left after ten years, and Semenyo said the adjustment is going smoothly:
“It's been amazing. He [Enzo Maresca] has come in and everyone is adjusting and we're building a nice culture. We're hoping we can collect as many points as we can.”
Semenyo also had kind words for a Sunderland side who made life difficult for City in several spells:
“It was a tough battle today. We knew it would be hard,” he continued. “They're a very good team and they made it difficult for us in so many periods of the game.
“They've made it tough against every team they've played so far. We knew it would be a tough one.
“We're just happy with the three points.”
Manchester City's next league game is at Liverpool on 11 October.