MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - MANCHESTER CITY 3-0 WEST HAM UNITED

Image courtesy of 101greatgoals.com

Manchester City came through a tough and frustrating first half to eventually run out as the rightful winners as they won 3-0 against West Ham United, in a match that will be remembered for Erling Haaland's beautiful chip, which sealed him the all time Premier League goal scoring record, with 5 matches still to play.

West Ham, who have important matches coming up against Manchester United in the Premier League and AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa Conference League, sat deep and defended resolutely throughout the first half, limiting City's chance creation to crosses, predominantly coming from either Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish or the fit again Nathan Ake, all from City's left hand side. The one chance the Blues had that breaks this mould is when defensive midfielder Rodri interchanged neat passes with Haaland, only to see his low strike bounce off the inside of the goalkeeper's left hand post and roll excruciatingly along the goal line, before being hacked clear at the back post.

City improved after the break, and it was mostly down to a slight change in tactics. Instead of opting for a 3-2-4-1 formation in possession, which was used in the first half, Guardiola instead decided to switch to the 3-3-1-3 formation that was used successfully in the 3-0 FA Cup Semi final victory against Sheffield United, with Bernardo Silva and John Stones operating more as number 8's in possession, with Rodri dictating play as a number 6. This gave more freedom to Julian Alvarez as the attacking midfielder and, crucially, greater control over the game for City.

The Blues took a deserved lead just after the break as Ake nodded Riyad Mahrez's floated freekick in at the back post, to score his first Premier League goal in what has been a sensational season for the 27 year old Dutchman.

City doubled their lead on the 70 minute mark, in the only really dangerous attacking transition they were allowed in the game, which is promising, as it shows that the wasteful finishing shown in last year's Champions League semi finals against Real Madrid, that came back to cost them, may well be a thing of the past. The ball was poked towards Grealish in the centre circle, who took the ball in his stride, drove at the backline and slipped the ball through to Haaland, who was making a bulldozing run through the middle. The Norwegian finished with a aplomb, clipping the ball over the head of the stranded goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, to give City a cushion in the game.

This was Haaland's 51st goal of the season in all competitions, and his 35th Premier League goal, meaning he's now beaten the record of Alan Shearer and Andy Cole, who have both managed 34 goals, but in a 42 game season.

This game held similarities to Brighton and Hove Albion at home last season, where City won 3-0 after a difficult first half, due to the change in tempo and increase in creativity in the second half. Both matches also featured a Phil Foden screamer, as Foden's volley from the edge of the box took a deflection off the heels of West Ham left wing back Emerson to secure the victory for City against the Hammers.

City face Leeds United, under new manager Sam Allardyce, on Saturday, before making a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semi final, with this article written exactly a year after 2 injury goals from Rodrygo, and a Karim Benzema penalty in extra time knocked City out of the Champions League in heart breaking fashion.

Here are the player ratings for City's home victory over the Hammers:

Ortega-Moreno - 7/10 - A surprise starter, Stefan Ortega-Moreno had a solid game in goal for Manchester City. His distribution was top quality, and he's shown that he's a perfectly capable back up if he's needed at the back end of this season.

Walker - 7/10 - Defended his flank well, with his only rash moment coming with a late tackle that wiped Emerson out after the ball had gone in a dangerous position, fairly early on in the game.

Stones - 7.5/10 - Won numerous headers against the imposing physical presence of Michail Antonio, and dropped into midfield successfully, as always.

Dias - 6.5/10 - Had a horrendous start to the game, looking to be caught out by Antonio numerous times in the opening few minutes. However, he grew into the game, and by the end, he was back to the imperious player that has been important to City this season.

Ake - 8/10 - Brilliant return to the side for Ake, looking very much like he's never been away. He kept the dangerous and direct Jarrod Bowen quiet for the whole game, and chipped in with a lovely header at the far post to give City the lead.

Rodri - 6.5/10 - Similarly to Dias, Rodri had a poor start to the game, getting caught in midfield and losing possession numerous times throughout the opening of the game. Also similar to Dias, he improved greatly as the game went on, getting a short rest at the end of the match as he was substituted early.

Bernardo - 7/10 - Linked up well with Jack Grealish in the first half, getting into some promising positions down the left hand side, but ultimately, his quality of cross was poor. Looked better playing in his favourite deeper role, closer to Rodri, in the second half.

Mahrez - 6/10 - Another slightly underwhelming performance from Mahrez, who seemed to play much narrower than usual, particularly in the first half. The Algerian has now surely played his way out of contention for starting against Real Madrid, given the recent performances of Bernardo Silva, and the excellent cameos of Phil Foden.

Alvarez - 6.5/10 - Bright and energetic as usual, Alvarez looked direct and sharp in midfield. However, he didn't provide as much as he usually would in terms of a creative threat, with West Ham's low defensive line limiting his space and freedom.

Grealish - 7.5/10 - City's record signing has been getting a lot of praise online from the club's fanbase, which has been justified based off this performance. Linking up well with Bernardo and Ake, Grealish looked positive and direct down City's left hand side, setting up Haaland with a well weighted through ball for his record breaking goal.

Haaland - 8/10 - Had a quiet start to the game, but exploded into life as the game opened up after the break. His goal was a strike of pure quality, one that sums up his life in a Manchester City shirt, and his guard of honour at the end showed just how popular he is in the City locker room.

Substitutes:

Akanji - 6.5/10 - Didn't have much time to impact the game, but the Swiss international looked composed and solid, as per usual.

Foden - 7.5/10 - Another bright, positive performance from Phil Foden, playing in the same role Julian Alvarez had played. Rounded off a fine cameo performance with a crisp volley from the edge of the box.

Phillips - Not enough time to rank, although his beaming smile as he entered the pitch was refreshing for all City fans to see!