Manchester City produced an encouraging 4-1 victory over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Vladimir Coufal’s own goal put the Cityzens on the right track at the beginning of the first half before Erling Haaland’s simple header provided a much-needed buffer just before the whistle.
Haaland then doubled his tally shortly after the interval with a well-taken dink and Phil Foden netted three minutes later, before Niclas Fullkrug fired home a consolation for the visitors.
How the game unfolded
Man City were searching for the perfect start to the new year and fortune favoured them as they raced into an early lead at the Etihad. Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek spurned promising opportunities for the visitors before Savinho, who starred in last weekend’s win over Leicester City, saw his cross deflect into the bottom corner off the helpless Coufal.
Despite Man City edging in front in the tenth minute, it was West Ham who served up the better of the chances during the opening half-hour. The Hammers broke with pace and intensity on the counter-attack when the hosts surrendered possession, but failed to make the most of a series of encouraging attacks.
Bernardo Silva came close to punishing their wastefulness in the 32nd minute after taking aim following a slick Man City move, but the diminutive Portuguese saw his low drive rebuffed by the outstretched feet of Alphonse Areola.
The reigning PREMIER League champions began to purr at the end of the first half and once again forced Areola to stretch as they chased a reassuring second. Rico Lewis was offered too much freedom as he collected the ball 25 yards from goal but the youngster saw his venomous effort pushed wide.
The hosts were eventually rewarded for their pressure before the break as Haaland got on the scoresheet for a second successive outing. In a near carbon copy of the Norwegian’s strike against Leicester last time out, he produced a composed far-post header following Savinho’s exceptional deep cross.
Any hopes of an inspired comeback from the Hammers were extinguished ten minutes into the second half as Haaland secured his brace. It was again Savinho who forged the effort, driving forward and releasing the towering Man City striker, who delicately dinked over the onrushing Areola.
West Ham were the architects of their own downfall as City quickly snatched an emphatic fourth. Kevin De Bruyne picked up a loose pass from Kudus and slid the ball across to Foden, who grabbed his second PREMIER League goal of the season to put some gloss on the scoreline.
There would be no clean sheet for Man City as West Ham pulled one back through Fullkrug, with the hosts taking their foot off the gas in the closing stages. Lucas Paqueta also came close to a second for the Hammers, but his poked shot whistled inches wide.
However, it mattered little as Man City secured an important victory that sees them close the gap on the top four.
Check out the player ratings from Man City vs West Ham here.
Man City’s defensive issues have caught the eye over two torrid months but they have been extremely disappointing in the final third, too. For a team that prides themselves on free-flowing, attacking football, they have been alarmingly blunt in recent outings.
However, that was not an issue on Saturday. While Man City rarely peppered the West Ham goal with unrelenting pressure, they forged an array of clear-cut opportunities. Their link-up play was more assured and quicker, with confidence from victory over Leicester flowing.
They were clinical in key moments as well, snapping up the chances that came their way with impressive ruthlessness. It feels like a potential turning point for a forward line that has long looked a shadow of its former self.
Savinho was the catalyst for Man City’s first win in five games at the King Power Stadium and the indefatigable Brazilian produced another match-defining performance on West Ham’s visit.
The 20-year-old offered the brightest spark in a Man City forward line struggling for creativity in recent outings and his ingenuity forced both first-half goals. A speedy burst past Coufal and slice of fortune gave the home side some much-needed breathing space, while an exquisite far-post cross provided Haaland with the simplest of headers to increase the cushion.
Savinho was again the beating heart of Man City’s third, using his speed to force West Ham defenders into backtracking before playing an inch-perfect through ball for Haaland. It was a devastating piece of play against an admittedly apathetic Hammers backline.
Much has been made of Man City’s issues in wide areas this season, with the likes of Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku and previously Savinho flattering to deceive. But the latter has provided the thrust and energy that has helped the Cityzens edge out of crisis, swiftly becoming a clinical force down the left-hand side.
Haaland still boasted only 25 touches against West Ham. He will simply never be a striker who is involved in every phase of the game, knitting play together with one-touch passes. But he more than makes up for his shortcomings with an unrivalled ruthless streak.
That aspect of his game has been missing in recent weeks, however. His goal against Leicester was a first in five and even the clinical Norwegian had been guilty of snatching at promising moments. He made amends against the unfortunate West Ham.
After scoring a remarkably similar header to the one he produced against Leicester, Haaland then served up some vintage Haaland. Darting beyond the last line and shrugging Konstantinos Mavropanos out of his path, he produced an excellent chip to add a clinching third to the scoreline.
It was the kind of sequence Haaland performs better than any other striker in world football, with shoots of confidence beginning to show. That will be of great concern to the PREMIER League’s centre-backs.
West Ham were not awful at the Etihad. They enjoyed some promising moments and could have taken the lead twice before Coufal’s unlucky own goal. But the fight and energy swiftly drained out of the misfiring Londoners, who suffered another bruising defeat.
Having been hit for five by Liverpool last time out, the Hammers gave up four in Manchester. Their defensive woes were laid bare and a lack of intensity and organisation in defence proved costly. Eyes naturally draw to the manager.
It seems that Lopetegui has been on the edge of dismissal for the past six weeks. West Ham have failed to improve significantly from their disappointing early season form and have suffered some humiliating losses to the division’s big boys.
Once again, Lopetegui was unable to conjure up a gameplan to put the out-of-form Man City under any significant pressure, while also failing to make his side difficult to carve open at the other end. Another sub-par display undoubtedly moves the Spaniard closer to the chopping block.
