January 04, (THEWILL) – Manchester City demonstrated a glimpse of their English Premier League strength with a comfortable 4-1 triumph over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, relieved to extend their winning to two matches.
The opening stages saw West Ham create opportunities through counter-attacking football, but fortune favoured the home side in the 10th minute. A cross from Savinho struck Vladimir Coufal, resulting in an own goal that wrong-footed goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
The partnership between Savinho and Erling Haaland proved instrumental before half-time. The Brazilian winger delivered an accurate cross, finding Haaland who directed his header beyond Areola to double City’s advantage in the 42nd minute.
The same combination struck again 10 minutes into the second half. Savinho found Haaland, who outmuscled Konstantinos Mavropanos before executing a precise chip over the West Ham goalkeeper. The fourth goal arrived moments later when Kevin De Bruyne intercepted Mohammed Kudus’ pass, setting up Phil Foden who finished with precision.
West Ham managed to find the net through Niclas Fullkrug with 20 minutes remaining, though the goal provided little comfort for the visiting side. The result intensifies pressure on manager Julen Lopetegui, whose team continues to struggle for consistency in 2024.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
