City follow Liverpool to send Premier League message at West Ham
Man City joins Liverpool FC in sending a Premier League message to West Ham United.
Liverpool demonstrated their talents with a Premier League comeback victory before Manchester City demonstrated why they are still the club to beat.
Run for your lives to the hills.
Iron Maiden delivered the message at halftime at the London Stadium, just like David Moyes would have if he could. West Ham led 1-0 in a clash of European champions, but the Hammers knew they would struggle to outperform the odds. What might have been a disappointing Manchester City outcome against Sheffield United and Fulham but turned into another display of strength from the Treble winners.
This appeared to be one of City’s stronger performances of the season in what was already their seventh game in all competitions, but they fell behind for the first time in the Premier League. All the fine work had been undone in one go at a site where they had struggled in many recent contests.
Obviously, both City recruits might have performed better in that game and will undoubtedly improve as they spend more time on the Etihad Campus training pitches. Aside from that, they were two of City’s better players in a solid team effort.
Gvardiol has already shown quick feet in his early days at the club, and he was too quick for West Ham to stop in the 15th minute, putting a ball across their box that Erling Haaland should have crushed into an empty net rather than clutching at it and sending it past the far post. Between conceding and halftime, Doku demonstrated even superior footwork to mislead Coufal and roll the ball towards the back post, but Haaland’s shot was too weak to prevent Nayef Aguerd from clearing off the line.
Sometimes it is difficult to place blame and all you can do is write the day off as one of those inexplicable blips. As early as the eighth minute, a corner swung in saw a Rodri shot blocked, a Phil Foden cross punched away, a Haaland effort stopped somehow on the line by a combination of Tomas Soucek’s shoulder and neck and then a Ruben Dias header on the follow-up turned over by Alphonse Areola.
One of the richest clubs in the world are not allowed sob stories, yet the four injuries that left them unable to fill their bench despite naming two goalkeepers on it shows how thin the squad is this season. Juanma Lillo had said there was more than enough if everybody stayed fit, but it hasn’t taken long for the hopes and dreams to be replaced by very real concerns about the depth available to Guardiola.
As Kyle Walker stated earlier this week, the players have no excuses if they want to win another championship. That made City’s 3-1 triumph all the more stunning, as they refused to let misfortune or one bad piece of play define their day.
If City came close to equalizing in the 10 minutes before halftime, it took them only 10 seconds of the second half. Doku displayed more of the smooth talents that had Coufal scared throughout the game, cutting onto his right foot and pushing the ball past Areola and into the net.
The goal silenced the London Stadium, as City pressed on, determined to take the lead for the first time. Areola made additional fine saves to deny an acrobatic Haaland and a jumping Foden after Julian Alvarez hit the woodwork from a free-kick.
West Ham have already punished City on the counter in this game, and just when it seems they couldn’t retreat any further, they released Michail Antonio, who raced past Dias and in on goal, only for Ederson to run out and deny him. Minutes later, the City goalkeeper outdid himself by diving to get a strong hand on a Kurt Zouma header that appeared destined for the bottom corner.
City simply went back up the other end and went one better, keeping their cool. Bernardo Silva’s energy levels had risen from the right wing, and he was alive not just to receive an Alvarez lob in the six-yard box as Aguerd leaped but failed to connect, but also to poke it past an otherwise inspired Areola.
Soon after, he carried the ball up the pitch and fed Haaland for his compulsory goal. An otherwise difficult afternoon had resulted in more progress.
City’s refusal to cave sends a vital message to the rest of the league at a time when results and performances are more crucial. In the same way that Manchester United’s third defeat in five games indicates a lack of challenger credentials, Liverpool’s determination to recover from behind at Wolves and win 3-1 – their latest indication of resilience – alludes to another remarkable season for Jurgen Klopp’s team.
City are still the club to beat, and they seem even better after their performance against an outstanding West Ham team. Guardiola may be correct in saying that the actual season begins now, but as long as the Blues play like this, everyone else will have to run for their lives to catch up.
