Haaland's Brace Powers City Past Struggling Hammers

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — Manchester City secured a commanding 3-0 victory over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium, with the result lifting the hosts to second place on 34 points while leaving the Hammers mired in 18th position with just 13 points and a precarious grip on Premier League survival.

Erling Haaland delivered a masterclass performance, bookending the match with goals in the 5th and 69th minutes, while Tijjani Reijnders added a second just before halftime. The Norwegian striker opened the scoring with a clinical right-footed finish from the centre of the box to the top right corner, setting the tone for what would become a thoroughly dominant afternoon for Pep Guardiola's side. Reijnders doubled the advantage in the 38th minute, prodding home a right-footed effort from the right side of the six-yard box after excellent work from Haaland, who turned provider. The third goal arrived in the 69th minute when Haaland switched feet, drilling a left-footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner to seal the points.

Manchester City dominated the ball with 66.4% possession, pinning West Ham United back for long stretches and dictating the tempo throughout. Phil Foden orchestrated proceedings from midfield, while Bernardo Silva and Rayan Cherki provided constant width and creativity. West Ham's defensive structure, marshalled by Maximilian Kilman and featuring Soungoutou Magassa, struggled to contain City's fluid movement. Alphonse Areola in the West Ham goal was called into action five times, producing crucial saves to prevent an even heavier defeat. The French goalkeeper denied Rúben Dias from a header in the 49th minute and made a spectacular stop to keep out Phil Foden's long-range effort in the 82nd minute.

Manchester City launched 17 shots at goal compared to West Ham United's seven, with the hosts registering eight efforts on target to the visitors' three. The pressure yielded six corners for City, who repeatedly threatened from set pieces, with Josko Gvardiol coming close with a header in stoppage time. West Ham's best opportunities came on the counter-attack, with Jarrod Bowen narrowly missing in the 56th minute after a Lucas Paquetá through ball, and Crysencio Summerville forcing a save in the 76th minute.

The turning point arrived with Haaland's early opener, which deflated West Ham's hopes of securing a positive result. The Hammers, already struggling near the relegation zone, never recovered from conceding so early and found themselves chasing shadows for much of the contest. Matheus Nunes and Nico O'Reilly controlled the midfield battle, with the latter winning several crucial duels against Mateus Fernandes and Freddie Potts.

Looking ahead, Manchester City will travel to face Nottingham Forest on December 27, seeking to maintain their push for the Premier League title.