Manchester City defeated West Ham 3-1 on the road to maintain their undefeated start to the season thanks to a goal from Erling Haaland, who recorded his second straight hat-trick.
Pep Guardiola, who was without the injured Savinho – with Jack Grealish coming into the side – saw his team dominate the first half.
It only took City ten minutes to take the lead after Bernardo Silva misdirected Emerson Palmieri’s pass, allowing Haaland to score with a low shot.
Kevin De Bruyne then hit the woodwork and Grealish went close as the one-way traffic continued. But against the run of play, The Hammers equalised when Jarrod Bowen’s cross was turned into his own net by Ruben Dias.
The visitors regained the lead 10 minutes later when Haaland was afforded too much space in the box and he took one touch before firing a ferocious shot into the roof of the net.
Lukasz Fabianski took Alphonse Areola’s place in the starting lineup during the half, thanks to a switch made by Julen Lopetegui.
City maintained control of the ball, but The Hammers squandered a fantastic opportunity to equalize through a counterattack when Mohammed Kudus was found by Bowen. Kudus’s hard shot from a close range struck the post.
Guardiola’s side sealed victory when Matheus Nunes threaded the ball through to Haaland who timed his run to perfection and lifted the ball over the ‘keeper to complete his hat-trick, to add to his three goals against Ipswich Town last weekend.
City now leads the league with three straight victories, while West Ham suffers its second loss of the year as a result of the outcome.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
