Haaland’s Brace Powers Dominant Display as Hammers’ Struggles Deepen
Manchester City delivered a commanding performance to breeze past West Ham United 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, temporarily climbing to the summit of the Premier League and extending their remarkable unbeaten run against the Hammers to 20 matches.
Riding high after securing a place in the EFL Cup semifinals, the champions carried their confidence onto the pitch. The breakthrough came early, as the irrepressible Phil Foden found Erling Haaland, whose first effort was saved by Alphonse Areola. The rebound fell kindly, however, and the Norwegian striker made no mistake with his second chance.
City’s first-half dominance was total, with Haaland later missing a headed chance to double the lead. The second goal soon arrived just before halftime, courtesy of Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, who finished coolly after a slick passing move. The half ended with audible frustration from the traveling West Ham supporters, their team pinned back in a relentless display of attack versus defense.
A brief flicker of hope emerged for the visitors after the break when Jarrod Bowen dragged a shot wide on a rare counter-attack. But any thoughts of a comeback were snuffed out as City regained control. The victory was sealed in the 69th minute when Haaland notched his 19th league goal of the season, sweeping home a loose ball in the box.
West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville forced a late save, but the contest was long over. Haaland even came close to a hat-trick in stoppage time, narrowly missing the target.
The result solidifies a staggering statistic: City are now unbeaten in 47 matches against sides in the relegation places at kickoff. For West Ham, the defeat means they will spend Christmas in the Premier League’s bottom three for the fifth time. History offers a slender thread of hope—the Hammers have escaped the drop the last two times they found themselves in this position. But as the festive season begins, the need for a rapid turnaround is glaringly clear.
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