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Manchester City kicked off the new year with an impressive 4-1 win over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Cityzens took an early lead through Vladimir Coufal’s own goal in the 10th minute, before Erling Haaland’s header doubled their advantage just before halftime.
West Ham had started brightly, with Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek spurning promising opportunities. However, their momentum was halted when Coufal inadvertently deflected Savinho’s cross into the bottom corner. The own goal was a result of Savinho’s exceptional skill, as he starred in his second consecutive match.
Despite trailing, West Ham continued to create chances, breaking with pace and intensity on the counter-attack. They failed to capitalize on these opportunities, and Manchester City began to assert their dominance. Bernardo Silva came close to extending City’s lead in the 32nd minute, but his low drive was rebuffed by Alphonse Areola.
Rico Lewis also saw his venomous effort pushed wide, but Haaland eventually doubled City’s lead with a composed far-post header following Savinho’s exceptional deep cross. The goal was a near carbon copy of Haaland’s strike against Leicester last time out.
Any hopes of a West Ham comeback were extinguished ten minutes into the second half as Haaland secured his brace. Savinho again played a crucial role, releasing Haaland, who delicately dinked over the onrushing Areola. The Norwegian striker’s second goal of the match exhibiting his clinical finishing.
Manchester City quickly added a fourth goal, with Kevin De Bruyne picking up a loose pass from Kudus and sliding the ball across to Phil Foden, who grabbed his second Premier League goal of the season.
West Ham pulled one back through Niclas Fullkrug, but it was too little, too late. Lucas Paqueta also came close to a second for the Hammers, but his poked shot whistled inches wide.
The win sees Manchester City close the gap on the top four, and they will be encouraged by their dominant performance. The victory marks a strong start to the new year for City, who will look to build on this momentum in their upcoming matches.
