Manchester City 3 West Ham 1: City player ratings as Erling Haaland makes his mark

Manchester City 3 (Erling Haaland 10′, 29′, 83′)

West Ham 1 (Ruben Dias OG 19′)

Here are the City player ratings and a brief match report as Manchester City picked up their third consecutive win to open the new Premier League season. Pep Guardiola’s side saw off West Ham 3-1 at the London Stadium. Erling Haaland once again stole the show with his hat trick that was the foundation for City’s win. The champions will head into the international break in fine form and have begun the 24/25 season in ominous fashion.

First half

After a touching tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson, the game began at breakneck speed. West Ham could’ve opened the scoring in the first minute as Michail Antonio failed to get on the end of a Mohammed Kudus cross. Some desperate defending from Josko Gvardiol prevented Antonio from opening the scoring. Jared Bowen then saw a stinging drive well saved by Ederson moments later.

Manchester City then had a great chance of their own. After West Ham’s blistering start, the champions began to assume control of the game. Erling Haaland headed over from close range after a teasing cross from Bernardo Silva in the 6th minute. But moments later the pair would combine to give City the lead.

In the 10th minute, Bernardo Silva pressed Lucas Paqueta into an error and he expertly played in Erling Haaland. City’s number 9 would make no mistake as he expertly tucked away the chance. From there it was total domination from Pep Guardiola’s side.

The champions should’ve doubled their lead on several occasions after Haaland’s opener. Kevin De Bruyne was denied in the 13th minute by a smart save from Alphonse Areola. He then hit the post in the 18th minute with a stinging drive.

Despite City’s dominance West Ham would equalise in the 19th minute. A quick counter saw Jared Bowen take on Josko Gvardiol one-on-one. His wicked cross was diverted into his net by Ruben Dias. It was a cruel blow for Manchester City after their dominance in the opening 20 minutes.

But Pep Guardiola’s side would continue their dominance and retake the lead in the 29th minute. A brilliant passage of play saw Rico Lewis tee up Erling Haaland who fired home to restore City’s lead. It was a sumptuous team goal and one that will make the end-of-season highlight reels.

Manchester City would go into half-time with a 2-1 lead, but in truth, it should’ve been more such was City’s first-half dominance.

Second half

West Ham once again made a blistering start to the second half. They were unfortunate not to equalise when Mohammed Kudus struck the post in the 52nd minute after another devastating counterattack from Julen Lopetegui’s side.

The Hammers were more than up for the fight in the second half as they looked stronger at the back and established more of a foothold in the game.

But the introduction of Ilkay Gundogan and Matheus Nunes wrestled back momentum and control for Pep Guardiola’s side. It was Matheus Nunes who helped set up Erling Haaland in the 83rd minute to end the contest. The Portuguese international expertly played in Haaland who timed his run to perfection as he chipped Alphonse Areola to make it 3-1 and complete his hat trick.

All told it was a superb performance from Manchester City. They maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season as they picked up three points against a dangerous opponent. The only major concern for City is the knee injury suffered by Savinho which ruled him out of today’s game.

Here are the City player ratings from City’s impressive win.

City player ratings

Ederson-6.5/10: Made a couple of decent saves and was cool in possession.

Rico Lewis-8.5/10: Yet another quality display from Lewis. He is now almost Manchester City’s first-choice right-back based on his performances to begin the season.

Manuel Akanji-8/10: Another quality display from Akanji. He did what he had to do with a minimal amount of fuss and his game looks to have gone up a level.

Ruben Dias-8/10: Dias was unfortunate for the own goal but made up for that with a quality display. His defensive header set up the break for Haaland’s third.

Josko Gvardiol-6.5/10: He defended well at times and was beaten on other occasions. Not his best display.

Mateo Kovacic-8.5/10: Another superb performance from Kovacic. He has stepped into Rodri’s role magnificently to start the season.

Kevin De Bruyne-8/10: He was unlucky not to score but was a constant threat throughout. De Bruyne has made a strong start to the season and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Bernardo Silva-9/10: An all-action display from Bernardo. It was his pressing of Lucas Paqueta that set up Haaland’s opener. Another brilliant performance from the Portuguese international.

Jeremy Doku-7/10: In my opinion that was Doku’s most composed display of the season. He picked his moments well and put in a mature performance.

Jack Grealish-7.5/10: In his first start of the season Grealish put in a good display. His first-half performance was brilliant, but like his team, he wasn’t as effective in the second half.

Erling Haaland-10/10: Scored another hat trick and destroyed West Ham. He is the most devastating player in world football on current form and it showed at the London Stadium.

Substitutes

Ilkay Gundogan-7/10: Gundogan helped calm the game down for Pep Guardiola after coming on.

Matheus Nunes-8/10: A brilliant cameo from Nunes. He played on the left wing and showed how dangerous he can be. His assist for Haaland’s third was superb. Hopefully, that performance is the catalyst that kickstarts his Manchester City career.

Nathan Ake- N/A: Not on long enough to mark.

Kyle Walker-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.