City seize Premier League top spot as Haaland hits brace to crush Hammers | OneFootball

Erling Haaland struck twice as Manchester City brushed aside West Ham United with a convincing 3-0 win that lifted them to the top of the Premier League.

The hosts made it eight straight league victories at the Etihad Stadium and extended a run that is beginning to resemble another title-defining surge.

Haaland wasted little time in setting the tone, opening the scoring inside five minutes after reacting quickest to his own saved effort to beat Alphonse Areola from close range.

Any hope West Ham had of growing into the contest was effectively extinguished by that early setback.

City sliced through the visitors repeatedly in the opening stages, with Haaland sending a free header wide from point-blank range and Tijjani Reijnders forcing Areola into a sharp low save.

The pressure eventually told again seven minutes before half-time when Reijnders collected a pass from Haaland, shifted the ball onto his right foot and thundered a finish into the roof of the net.

At that point, the contest already felt beyond a West Ham side that offered little resistance and struggled to cope with City’s movement and tempo.

Pep Guardiola’s side continued to dominate possession after the break, though West Ham briefly showed signs of fight as Jarrod Bowen found space in the right channel.

Bowen twice went close, first firing into the side netting from a tight angle and then dragging a shot wide, but those moments proved fleeting.

Haaland ensured there would be no late drama in the 69th minute when he pounced on a loose ball in the box after West Ham failed to clear, rifling a decisive finish beyond Areola.

The Norwegian was denied a hat-trick in stoppage time when he dragged a shot wide, but his brace took his remarkable league tally to 19 goals for the season.

City eased through the closing stages, with Areola producing late saves to deny Phil Foden and Savinho and keep the scoreline respectable.

The victory moved Manchester City one point clear at the summit, applying pressure on Arsenal ahead of their later fixture and underlining City’s growing authority as the season progresses.

It was also their seventh consecutive win in all competitions and another reminder of how ruthless Guardiola’s side can be once momentum builds.

West Ham, by contrast, remain mired in trouble and will spend Christmas inside the relegation zone after a sixth league game without a win.

Nuno Espirito Santo has yet to spark a turnaround since taking charge and his side were second best in every department on a sobering afternoon.

Manchester City now enjoy a brief pause before returning to league action away at Nottingham Forest, while West Ham face mounting pressure as the fight for survival intensifies.