Five Things Learned: Manchester City 4-1 West Ham (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City kicked off 2025 with a promising 4-1 win over West Ham to pick up a second consecutive win in the Premier League for the first time since October.

The Etihad Stadium echoed with cheers as Pep Guardiola’s men put on an encouraging display following a poor run of form. Savinho forced an own goal from Vladimír Coufal before setting up Erling Haaland to score a second. The Norwegian doubled his tally in the second-half, and Phil Foden added a fourth to round off a promising outing.

The match started with West Ham putting considerable pressure on the home side. The visitors forced City into their own half with relentless counter-attacks, and Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek employed quick turns to capitalise on possession but failed to convert.

Coufal had difficulty containing Savinho, who ran the show from the left against the Hammers. The Brazilian shrugged past his defender and drilled a ball across goal, but the ball took a giant deflection from Coufal and went straight into the net for Manchester City’s first goal.

Bernardo Silva and Rico Lewis saw shots on target denied in the first-half while the team fought to resist pressure from the Hammers. Savinho would soon punish the opponents again by making a sublime deep cross to Erling Haaland, who headed the ball home with ease.

City looked more comfortable on the ball in the second-half. Savinho orchestrated a brilliant display, stretching the defence wide before crossing to Haaland, who had already found space to run behind Kostas Mavropanos. The Norwegian set himself up to capitalise on Alphonse Areola, who had left his line and dinked it over the West Ham goalkeeper to register a brace.

Kudus, who had added substantially to City’s troubles throughout, gifted Kevin de Bruyne with the ball when he made a weak back-pass in his penalty area. The Belgian pounced and moved the ball toward an onrushing Phil Foden, who squared it home to give City their fourth.

The score didn’t do justice to Julen Lopetegui’s side, who were much more threatening on the pitch. City would soon regret easing up after the fourth goal as they were made to face the horrors of the opening thirty minutes again.

This time, Soucek’s low cross found Niclas Fullkrug in the City penalty area, who fired the ball past Stefan Ortega to pick up a consolation goal. Lucas Paqueta and Crysensio Summerville missed their chances, relieving City as the Sky Blues anxiously waited for the full-time whistle.

Guardiola admitted that his team were not playing like their old self despite the scoreline. The Catalan notably mentioned each player has to fight for his position. Kevin de Bruyne, in his 400th appearance for the club, noticeably retained the captain’s armband despite Kyle Walker being brought on as a substitute.

City remain in sixth position in the Premier League table, one point behind Newcastle United and two behind Chelsea. Pep Guardiola’s side will next face Salford City in the third round of the FA Cup.

But before that, we take a look at Five Things We Learned from Manchester City’s spirited 4-1 win over West Ham!

Fortune favours t̶h̶e̶ b̶o̶l̶d̶ Savinho

Savinho has consistently been one of the brightest aspects of Manchester City’s attack over a horrid two-month period that saw the side pick up just one win in 13 matches across all competitions.

However, his performance was partly overshadowed by a lack of conversion in the final third and partly due to the team’s abysmal losses. Initially slotted into the right-hand side, Savinho was bold in his attempt to force the ball forward and build pressure.

His efforts culminated in his first goal for the club last week against Leicester when he finally netted the ball in the Premier League with his 28th shot at goal, and it didn’t take him that long against West Ham.

Savinho’s stellar display against the Hammers was impressive. He seemed at ease on the left and made strong claims for the position over Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku. He finally clicked with his output and showed glimpses of a fluid partnership with Erling Haaland in the centre – two crucial aspects that would help him edge past his teammates.

The first goal was credited to Vladimir Coufal, who was helpless when the ball deflected off a stretched knee. But that would not detract from Savinho’s resilient pressure, who made similar attempts in his previous appearances.

He has produced the second-highest number of crosses (61) for City in the Premier League this season, only behind Kevin de Bruyne, and is among the top three players with most shots for the defending champions. A courageous play from him is now being deservedly rewarded.

Erling Haaland hits the stride

Many were surprised by the Norwegian’s goal drought, but none bore the crushing weight of expectations like Haaland himself. His confidence had visibly taken a hit; the City faithful had hoped his goal against Leicester could turn things around. Fortunately, Haaland may be close to finding his stride again.

He earned himself a brace against the Hammers, scoring his first from a header quite similar to one against Leicester. Haaland outran defenders and towered over his man to head past the goalkeeper on both occasions. His second was more assuring of his quality when he received the cross from Savinho and tactfully dinked it over the goalkeeper to give City a third.

A glimpse into his dribbling upfront made headlines after City’s last outing, but he grabbed attention for a typical Haaland-like display inside the box around this time. He drew defenders and toyed with their misjudged manoeuvres to put pressure on the goalkeeper.

If the lack of confidence solely governed the drop in his goalscoring form, Erling Haaland’s performance against West Ham was as encouraging as it could get for someone with his standards.

Manchester City’s attack ends their slumber

The final months of 2024 saw the Sky Blues become a mere shadow of their former selves.

The team visibly struggled with a deflated defence, but a failing attack made City unrecognisable in front of goal. That was until Guardiola’s team faced West Ham. The London side are not at the top of their own game, battling demons under a struggling Julen Lopetegui.

But City’s offence improved remarkably in its first game of the year. The forwards pounced on every opportunity and showed creativity upfront to force their chances. De Bruyne and Haaland received promising support from Savinho on the left, allowing the champions to maintain pressure on their opponents in a typical City manner.

Phil Foden’s name on the scoresheet added to the heartening display, giving him and his team a much-needed boost in their creativity as we advance.

Midfield duels mount concerns

Manchester City’s attack was better than anything we have seen from the defending champions recently, but West Ham could have ended the game differently.

In the first 30 minutes of the match, the Hammers tore open City’s midfield before testing a nervy defence. Mateo Kovacic and later Ilkay Gundogan, for all their quality, could not hold the midfield, which gave Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek too much space to exploit.

City repeatedly lost midfield duels and surrendered possession, forcing them to make extensive defensive runs. Meanwhile, West Ham garnered more confidence. The Londoners produced dangerous counter-attacks that almost left City breathless at the start.

Had it not been for the squandered chances from Kudus and Soucek, the transitions would have brutally exposed a midfield barely holding itself together. It is not a stretch to say the Sky Blues were lucky to escape with a scoreline that didn’t reflect the whole story.

Defence is in dire need of reinforcements

City’s midfield may have survived, but their defence is on the verge of burning out. Players like Josko Gvardiol and Manuel Akanji look to play through injuries. Nathan Ake is far from entirely fit and thus needs to be protected.

Ruben Dias was in attendance at the Etihad Stadium, but there’s still time for his return. And Kyle Walker’s introduction, much like the game in Leicester, left the team nervy at the back.

The English right-back is not solely to blame for the lack of a clean sheet. The team took their foot off the gas in the final minutes, but Walker’s experience and Akanji’s prompt reaction could have prevented the goal. When the current players aren’t injured, they are too mentally fatigued to avoid making simple errors at the back.

Guardiola previously claimed that City will look for players in defensive roles during the January transfer window. The Sky Blues need fresh legs; unfortunately, a few in the current team need to make way.

No defender in the world can magically bring discipline that can fix City’s defensive woes, but the team needs players willing to give their all on the pitch and have enough stamina left to do it for 90 minutes.