Just a week after becoming the first manager in history to win all of his opening seven Premier League games in charge of a club, Enzo Maresca saw his record-breaking start brought to a sudden halt.

Manchester City’s loss at Villa Park on Saturday, October 24, 2026, ended their charge towards several long-standing top-flight benchmarks set by legendary managers.

City entered the clash aiming to become only the eighth team in English top-flight history to win their opening eight games of a season.

Chelsea record safe

A victory would have also set a new outright club record for consecutive league wins to open a campaign, shattering a mark that had stood since the 1897–98 season.

Furthermore, an eighth straight victory would have left City just one win shy of Chelsea’s Premier League record of nine consecutive wins to open a season, a mark set under José Mourinho during the 2005–06 campaign that now remains safe for another year.

League record of consecutive wins

The all-time English top-flight record for consecutive wins from the start of a season remains 11, set by Tottenham Hotspur in 1960–61 and untouched for over six decades. Manchester United hold the second-best modern mark with 10 wins in 1985–86 under Ron Atkinson, while Liverpool twice reached eight wins—under Kenny Dalglish in 1990–91 and Jürgen Klopp in 2019–20, the latter culminating in the Reds’ first league title in 30 years.

Following the setback, Cityzens must regroup quickly for a demanding schedule.

The Sky Blues host an in-form Brighton side twice in quick succession—first they host the Seagulls in the Carabao Cup Fourth Round on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, followed by a Premier League clash three days later, before closing out a busy November schedule with a blockbuster trip to face champions Arsenal.