Manchester City prevailed 4-0 over a wasteful West Ham on a cold afternoon in East London.
Three first-half goals from Raheem Sterling, David Silva and Leroy Sane were the difference in the game before Sane added again late on to ensure City stayed top of the Premier League table, unbeaten after 13 games.
City found the perfect start to the match as they took the lead in the tenth minute. The goal came after a counter-attack following a poor West Ham corner. The ball was worked out to Raheem Sterling, whose deflected cross found David Silva in the six-yard box, and the Spaniard was able to slide the ball past Lukasz Fabiański to give the Citizens the lead.
It didn’t take long for Manchester City to double their tally after a series of passes in the West Ham half. Raheem Sterling lost his marker, Arthur Masuaku, and was able to finish off a long passing move from the Citizens when he scored from Leroy Sane’s low driven cross.
West Ham did react well from going two goals behind. Hammer’s attackers Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio both had good chances to get them back in the game, however they couldn’t beat Ederson in the City goal.
It got even better for Manchester City on the 33rd minute when they scored again. Sterling’s first-time cross found Sane who brought the ball the down and fooled Fabianski and Fabian Balbuena in one move, then simply tapped the ball home. West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini must have been regretting setting his team up with such an attacking mindset from the start.
West Ham almost gave themselves hope on the 56th minute as substitute Javier Hernandez played in Michail Antonio who ran clear through on goal. Although, despite beating Ederson, this time he was instead denied by the post.
After pretty much playing the game out, City then finished their afternoon at the London Stadium in style. Gabriel Jesus clipped a cross to the back post to Sane who had time to take the ball down. Sane then hit the ball into the bottom corner of the goal on the half-volley to cap off a great performance by Guardiola’s men.
Quick starts the key?
Pep Guardiola’s insistence on City starting games quickly is still evident. The Citizens had pretty put the game to bed in the first 35 minutes by scoring three goals from near enough their first three clear-cut chances.
Despite West Ham not actually playing awfully and trying to attack City, the game was out of reach even if they were able to get a foothold in the game. If City are able to dispatch most teams in the league in this fashion, then the title defence will be wrapped up just as early, if not earlier, than when they won it last year in their record-breaking centurion season.
A new left-back for West Ham?
Arthur Masuaku had a shocking game today and was at fault for the first two goals; both times losing his man and allowing tap-ins. This was shown as he was hauled off at half-time, and whilst Masuaku can provide some quality going forward, his defensive abilities have never been far from questionable.
West Ham’s other left-back, Aaron Cresswell, also has ability going forward as he is blessed with a wicked left foot. However, since his bad injury two years ago, his defensive confidence has dropped hugely. Surely with the January window coming up, Manuel Pellegrini will be on the lookout to bring in a far superior player to help with the backline.
David Silva’s purple patch
David Silva continued his fine form this season against the Hammers, remaining on his scoring run to make it three goals in his last three Premier League games. Silva is one of the last original signings by Sheikh Mansour yet he is still producing outstanding performances for the Citizens.
His form this season has seen ‘El Mago’ lavished with praise, and it’s not hard to see why after yet another performance that oozed class and assisted City in securing another three points in their quest for the title.
Silva is keeping the City machine running fluidly despite the absence of Kevin De Bruyne – and he is relishing the extra responsibility. The little Spaniard has shown he still has some miles left in the tank at the top of the football world. If he does, it will only further confirm his legendary status in the Premier League.
Return of Andy Carroll
West Ham will be ruing the missed chances they had in the game against Manchester City. If they had been more efficient then maybe they could have got something from the game and been rewarded for their attacking efforts.
One person that might help will be the returning Geordie, Andy Carroll. As an unused substitute, there’s a suggestion Pellegrini will use him sparingly to try and prolong his time and prevent another injury.
Carroll’s return is timely as he will be able to hurt teams like Cardiff and Crystal Palace who are in West Ham’s upcoming fixtures. If West Ham can get the service to him from wingers Felipe Anderson and Grady Diangana then the Hammers could propel themselves up the league.
Man of the Match: Leroy Sane
With two goals and an assist Leroy Sane silenced some of the critics he had at the beginning of the season. The German was a constant threat down the left side of City’s attack, constantly drifting past Pablo Zabaleta and threatening the West Ham goal with shots, so much so he could have had a hat-trick on another day at the London Stadium.
