Manchester City moved to the top of the Premier League table ahead of Arsenal’s evening kick-off with a comfortable 3-0 victory over West Ham United, continuing their long dominance over the Hammers in league meetings, Softfootball reports.
City came into the game in high spirits after booking their place in the EFL Cup semi-finals, but there was also a reflective tone before kick-off. Pep Guardiola admitted his future at the club was not entirely in his hands, stressing that he had left any decisions about what comes next to the club’s hierarchy. On the pitch, however, his side looked fully focused.
It took just minutes for City to assert control. Phil Foden, once again at the heart of everything, slipped a neat pass through to Erling Haaland. The striker’s first effort was saved by Alphonse Areola, but he reacted quickest to the rebound and calmly finished to give the hosts an early lead.
City’s dominance barely eased after that. West Ham struggled to cope with the constant pressure, spending most of the first half pinned inside their own half. Haaland missed a decent chance with a header, but City were not to be denied a second goal. After seeing an earlier effort blocked, Tijjani Reijnders made amends by lifting the ball into the net at the end of a slick team move, giving the home fans plenty to cheer before half-time.
West Ham, who had drawn 1-1 away at Brighton in their previous road outing, briefly hinted at a response after the break when Jarrod Bowen dragged a counter-attacking effort wide. That proved to be as good as it got for the visitors.
City slowed the tempo but never lost control, and the game was effectively settled midway through the second half. A loose ball inside the box fell kindly to Haaland, who swept it home for his second of the night and his 19th league goal of the season.
Crysencio Summerville later forced a save, but it did little to change the mood. Haaland even went close to completing his hat-trick in stoppage time, though City were already well out of sight by then.
After the game ended, Manchester city via its official X handle, shared an exclusive update confirming that the Norwegian striker Erling Haaland as now scored 149 premier league goals for the club. The fastest player to do that in a City’s shirt. They posted:
The win sends City top of the table and underlines their strength against struggling sides, while West Ham remain stuck in the relegation zone over the festive period. It is an uncomfortable position for the Hammers, but past survival battles may yet give their supporters some hope.
