Premier League: West Ham 1 Manchester City 3 – match report

Although James Ward-Prowse gave David Moyes’ men an interval lead with a 36th-minute diving header, the hopes of the Hammers fans in the sun-drenched, shirt-sleeved, sell-out crowd were dashed after the break as City fought back with second-half goals from Jérémy Doku, Bernardo Silva and, almost inevitably, that man Erling Haaland.

Basking in the glow of last season’s respective European glories, both teams had come into this contest unbeaten in their opening four Premier League games of 2023/24.

UEFA Europa Conference champions West Ham United had followed up their opening weekend draw at Bournemouth with a hat-trick of victories over Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Luton Town and, returning from the international break, Moyes made just one change from the side that had won at Kenilworth Road 15 days ago.

In came Tomáš Souček for Saïd Benrahma, who took his seat on bench alongside summer signings Mohammed Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos, who had scored for Ghana and Greece respectively during the break.

Certainly, Souček quickly justified his inclusion in the starting line-up, blocking on the line during a frantic goalmouth scramble that saw Haaland, Rúben Dias and Rodri denied by the athletic, acrobatic Alphonse Areola.

And after the unmarked Haaland had inexplicably side-footed Joško Gvardiol’s low centre behind at the far post on the quarter-hour mark, the Czech Republic international then arrived in the opposite six-yard box, where he agonisingly glanced Jarrod Bowen’s inswinging corner across the face of goal.

Following an enforced absence due to back surgery, Pep Guardiola returned to the City dug-out to take the reins once more and with his UEFA Champions League winners having opened their new campaign with four straight victories, he made two switches to the team that had trounced Fulham (5-1) last time out.

The Spaniard, who arrived in the capital unbeaten in all of his 16 games to date managing City against the Hammers, recalled both Gvardiol and Silva in place of Mateo Kovačić (muscle strain) and Nathan Aké, one of just eight substitutes named on the visitors’ bench.

With City enjoying around three quarters of the possession, Doku and Rodri ensured that Areola was kept busy as the half-hour mark approached but with the Hammers keeping their shape and discipline, City were failing to find the killer ball in the final third.

In reply, both Michail Antonio and Bowen were toiling hard under the September sun as they sought to escape at any opportunity and Ward-Prowse forced Ederson into his first meaningful action of the afternoon with a low, deflected 18-yarder.

On 36 minutes, though, Moyes’ masterplan of soaking up the pressure and breaking in numbers saw the Hammers draw first blood when Vladimír Coufal robbed Doku on the halfway line and having played a one-two with Bowen he continued his charge forward.

Arriving on the right-hand edge of the City penalty area, the Czech Republic defender expertly picked out the run of Ward-Prowse who, having ghosted behind Manuel Akanji, planted his diving header beyond Edison from 10 yards.

An ecstatic East End erupted at the sight of the Conference League victors now taking the lead over the Champions League winners but with chants of ‘Champions of Europe, we know what we are!’ ringing around the East End, Haaland almost silenced that chorus but Nayef Aguerd cleared off the line to deny City’s frustrated, firebrand forward.

Bookings for Edson Álvarez and Gvardiol kept the closing stages of a frenetic first half alive but the contents of Moyes’ interval team-talk were instantly ripped up within just seconds of the restart.

Julián Álvarez invited Doku to carve a path in from the left flank and he duly whipped an angled 12-yarder around both Coufal and the despairing dive of Areola to level with his first goal for City since his £55million arrival from Rennes.

It could have quickly got yet worse for West Ham as Gvardiol sent a rising 18-yarder over the top and, after Areola’s brilliant one-handed save thwarted Haaland’s equally acrobatic bicycle-kick, Álvarez then rocked the French keeper’s left-hand post.

Like that upright, the Hammers were certainly wobbling but showing the fight that had taken them into the top four, they gallantly began to fight back to create some threats of their very own.

Lucas Paquetá sent Antonio racing away but he simply ran out of road as Ederson sprinted from his line and bravely dived into the West Ham striker’s studs and, after Emerson was denied in the act of shooting by Akanji, the City keeper then produced a full-length save to prevent skipper Kurt Zouma from heading home Ward-Prowse’s consequent corner.

Midway through the half, Kudus came on for Antonio, while Edson Álvarez limped away to be replaced by Benrahma and in the opposite technical area, Guardiola sent on Matheus Nunes in place of Phil Foden.

Despite the shots, corners and possession statistics weighing heavily against them, West Ham were still looking good for a point but that all changed with a quarter of an hour remaining.

This time, Álvarez cleverly lofted into the six-yard box, where the flight of the ball deceived the leap of Aguerd and with Areola now stranded, Silva was left with the simple task of hooking into an unguarded net from just a couple of yards.

Shortly afterwards, the sliding Haaland was again left forlorn by Areola’s agility in producing another defiant stop from his locker but it was written in the Stratford skies that having gone so close so often, the most dangerous marksman in the Premier League – if not the whole of Europe – would find the net at some stage.

Sure enough, with four minutes remaining, goalscorer Silva turned goal-maker with a sweeping, low right-wing ball that Haaland gleefully swept into the net to cement victory with his 59th strike for City in just 60 matches.

WEST HAM UNITED: Areola, Coufal (Kehrer 86), Emerson, Zouma, Aguerd, E Álvarez (Benrahma 68), Ward-Prowse, Souček (Ings 86), Paquetá, Bowen, Antonio (Kudus 66). Unused subs: Fabiański, Cresswell, Fornals, Mavropanos, Ogbonna.

MANCHESTER CITY: Ederson, Walker, Gvardiol (Aké 90+4), Akanji, Dias, Rodri, Silva (Bobb 90+4), Doku (Gómez 89), Foden (Nunes 66), J Álvarez, Haaland (Lewis 90+4). Unused subs: Ortega, Carson, Phillips,

Booked: E Álvarez (38), Gvardiol (45+2), Souček (78), Rodri (88), Paquetá (90+6)

Referee: Andrew Madley.