West Ham 1 – 3 Manchester City
Erling Haaland propelled Manchester City to the top of the Premier League with his second consecutive hat-trick in a 3-1 victory over West Ham on Saturday.
After demolishing Ipswich last weekend, the Norwegian striker added another treble to his tally, reaching 70 goals in 69 Premier League appearances since joining City from Borussia Dortmund.
City have begun their title defense impressively, winning all three of their opening fixtures. This strong start, marked by Haaland’s prolific scoring, has solidified their position as the team to beat after four consecutive league titles.
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Pep Guardiola was able to rest key players like Rodri, John Stones, and Kyle Walker, while Phil Foden missed the game due to illness.
Unlike many of his teammates who played in international tournaments, Haaland enjoyed a break over the summer and has returned looking sharp and relentless.
Following a goal in the season opener at Chelsea and a hat-trick against Ipswich, Haaland now holds a Premier League record with seven goals in the first three games of the season.
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West Ham’s defensive lapse led to City’s opener, as they lost possession in their own half, allowing Bernardo Silva to set up Haaland for a simple finish past Alphonse Areola.
City were dominant early on, with Kevin De Bruyne’s shot hitting the crossbar, but West Ham equalized through a Ruben Dias own goal after Jarrod Bowen’s cross.
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City regained control with a well-worked move, culminating in Haaland’s powerful finish following a pass from Rico Lewis.
Haaland nearly set up another goal before halftime, but Lewis’ shot went over the bar.
In the second half, West Ham had a chance to level the score again when Mohammed Kudus’ shot hit the post after a quick counter-attack.
Haaland sealed the victory with a clinical finish after being set up by Matheus Nunes, and although Lukasz Fabianski denied him a fourth goal in stoppage time, City secured all three points.
West Ham’s defeat, their second in three games, leaves them in 14th place, while Manchester City continue their dominant start to the season.
