Haaland Sends a Warning as Manchester City Crush West Ham
Haaland Sets the Tone Early
Erling Haaland made his intentions clear within five minutes as Manchester City brushed aside West Ham with a dominant 3-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s side were in full control from the opening whistle, and their striker once again proved the difference.
City moved the ball sharply down the left before Phil Foden picked out Haaland inside the area. His first effort was blocked by Alphonse Areola, but the rebound fell kindly and the Norwegian made no mistake with a powerful finish. It was a goal that summed up City’s intensity and focus.
City Control as West Ham Struggle
Manchester City dictated the tempo for most of the first half, patiently recycling possession and waiting for gaps to appear. West Ham offered little resistance, with Jarrod Bowen’s low cross the only moment of mild concern for the home side.
Haaland nearly doubled his tally when Rayan Cherki delivered a perfect cross, but the striker surprisingly headed wide. The miss did not matter. City continued to dominate and soon extended their lead.
Reijnders Punishes Passive Defending
The second goal arrived when Cherki outmuscled Mateus Fernandes and slipped the ball to Haaland inside the box. With no shooting angle, Haaland showed his all-round quality by laying it off to Tijjani Reijnders, who smashed a close-range effort into the roof of the net.
West Ham looked shell-shocked and fortunate not to be further behind before half-time.
Haaland Finishes the Job
The visitors showed more energy after the break and briefly threatened through Crysencio Summerville, but Gianluigi Donnarumma reacted well to deny Freddie Potts. Any hope of a comeback ended in the 69th minute.
After a scramble in the box following pressure from Savinho and Rico Lewis, Haaland pounced on a loose ball and rifled home his second goal of the night. It took his tally for club and country this season to 38 and underlined City’s growing title momentum.
City eased through the closing stages, with Haaland narrowly missing a hat-trick in stoppage time. For West Ham, the defeat extended their winless run to six and left them stuck in the relegation zone heading into Christmas.
