London Stadium recently witnessed Erling Haaland’s remarkable performance, resulting in Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over West Ham in a Premier League face-off. The awe-inspiring hat-trick put Manchester City at the leaderboard’s zenith and furthered Haaland’s blossoming record – seven goals in three games, as well as his eighth Premier League hat-trick. This success fortified City’s unblemished record for the season and its strategy under Pep Guardiola, closely observed by Noel Gallagher of Oasis.
The first goal arrived when Haaland was skilfully set up by Bernardo Silva, who had just robbed the ball from Lucas Paqueta, a player formerly eyed by City. Despite a determined effort from West Ham’s goalkeeper, Alphonse Areola, Haaland expertly slipped the ball into the net.
City intensified their attack thereafter, with De Bruyne’s shot necessitating a spectacular save from Areola. De Bruyne then hit the outlines again while Jack Grealish, who was playing in his inaugural match of the season, missed the follow-up shot.
The Hammers, however, managed to pull level in the 19th minute. Paqueta sent a clever pass to Bowen who, after dashing down the wing, put together a cross that Ruben Dias deflected into his own goal. Manchester City soon regained supremacy, with Rico Lewis setting up Haaland’s second goal by deftly passing to him at the edge of the penalty area.
Attempting to secure a hat-trick before the break, Haaland was fouled in a skirmish with Edson Alvarez, but his subsequent free-kick merely brushed the top of the net. West Ham afterwards fell short of a comeback, despite a brilliant counter-attack. This involved Paqueta making a smooth pass to Mohammed Kudus, who came only inches away from scoring.
West Ham’s aspirations for a seldom-seen point against City were dashed as Haaland sprinted onto a forward pass from Matheus Nunes to secure the third goal. Haaland was on the verge of securing a fourth goal, but the near post blocked his attempt. Despite this, City still emerged victorious with yet another decisive win, and Haaland left with one more match ball to his collection.