Manchester City cruised to a 3-0 win against West Ham in the Premier League to reclaim top spot in the title race.
Manchester City defeated West Ham 3-0 at the Etihad on Wednesday night, May 3, 2023, in the Premier League.
Goals from Nathan Ake, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were enough to blow the Hammers away as the defending champions returned to the top of the Premier League summit ahead of Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola’s men outclassed David Moye’s Hammers at the Etihad on Wednesday night.
West Ham defended really well in the opening 20 minutes of the game, repelling City’s attempts on goal as much as possible.
Erling Haaland came close to heading home for the hosts in the 24th minute but the Norwegian couldn’t keep his header on target after connecting from Jack Grealish’s cross.
West Ham also created chances for themselves and Jarrod Bowen came close to scoring the opener but saw his effort saved by City’s debutant Stefan Ortega Moreno at the near post.
West Ham managed to hold City at the break and the hosts had to eventually dig deep in the second period.
Second Half
West Ham endured a terrible start to the second period as Nathan Ake headed home for Man City four minutes in to give the hosts a deserved 1-0 lead.
The Hammers soon suffered a blow as Vladimir Coufal was forced off injured in the 62nd minute.
Again, Pep Guardiola’s men managed to carve the visitors wide open in the 70th minute with Erling Haaland playing a lovely dink over the onrushing Fabiański for City’s second of the night.
West Ham just had no answer for the hosts who managed to even stretch their lead even further in the 85th minute when Phil Foden’s volley deflected off Emerson Palmieri and past Fabiański, as the Cityzens earned their ninth consecutive Premier League victory to reclaim top spot with a game in hand on second-placed Arsenal.
Meanwhile, the result on Wednesday night now meant West Ham recorded a third consecutive league defeat for the first time in 2023.
However, the Hammers remain four points above the relegation zone.
Man of The Match - Jack Grealish
The 27-year-old English attacking midfielder was the most impressive player in Man City’s win against West Ham.
Grealish created the assist for Erling Haaland’s goal while creating two big chances against a West Ham defense that initially proved quite tough to break down.