City’s Haaland Shines with a Hat-Trick in a 3-1 Victory Over West Ham Manchester City clinched their third consecutive win in the Premier League, defeating a resilient West Ham 3-1 at the London Stadium. Erling Haaland’s hat-trick was instrumental in City’s triumph, overshadowing Ruben Dias’ own goal that briefly equalized the score for West Ham.
Manchester City reached the game’s top after winning against West Ham (3-1) thanks to Erling Haaland’s hat trick. Arsenal’s loss to Brighton and Declan Rice’s red card gave them only one point
Haaland made history by becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in two of an English team’s first three league games in a season since Paul Jewell for Bradford in 1994/95. His exceptional performance is truly remarkable!
West Ham, currently 13th with three points, nearly conceded on City’s first attack when Jack Grealish found Bernardo Silva on the overlap, but Haaland headed the cross over. The Norwegian quickly put the miss behind him and opened the scoring shortly after.
Lucas Paqueta lost possession carelessly, allowing Silva to steal the ball and set up the striker, who calmly finished low past Alphonse Areola.
City almost made it 2-0 when Kevin De Bruyne, assisted by Jeremy Doku, struck the post. Soon after, West Ham managed to level the score in a stroke of luck.
Jarrod Bowen received the ball on the right side. With Josko Gvardiol giving him too much space, Bowen’s cross was accidentally deflected into the net by Ruben Dias as he tried to intercept it.
West Ham briefly gained momentum, but City regained their lead 11 minutes later. Rico Lewis set up the goal, and after a quick touch, the striker finished powerfully past Areola.
Micah Richards from Sky Sports said: “I think the break in the summer did him a world of good. His energy and his body language have been outstanding.”
Lukasz Fabianski came on for Areola at halftime. Still, West Ham nearly equalized when Kudus’ shot hit the post after Bowen’s assist.
Dias missed a chance from De Bruyne’s cross, keeping the game open. West Ham pressed on as Kudus took the ball from Silva and set up Niclas Fullkrug. Fullkrug passed to Tomas Soucek, but Soucek’s shot went wide.
City and Haaland surged ahead as Matheus Nunes’ precise pass set up Haaland for a signature lofted finish. It was his 11th hat-trick for City and 24th overall.
Haaland brings his hat-trick show from Manchester to London
Noel Gallagher was there, and while Oasis’s lead guitarist was in the spotlight this week, Erling Haaland stole some of the attention.
The Norwegian brought his hat-trick show from Manchester to London, scoring 70 goals in 69 Premier League games. Haaland is the Premier League’s king, with 19 goals in 11 August appearances.
Three goals each against Ipswich and West Ham, and three wins for Manchester City.
Guardiola had warned that the striker was ready to lead the team’s quest for a fifth consecutive league title, noting that he had been in his best form since joining the club.
While many teammates rested after Euro 2024, Haaland had a full pre-season with City. Starting strong this season, he looks set to surpass the 52 goals he scored in his first year at the club.
Richards said: “Haaland was the difference. His ruthlessness in front of goal is why he has scored so many.
“It’s extraordinary. He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. Everything about his performance today was top-notch.”
Is he the greatest of all time? Possibly, but it’s up for debate.
Lopetegui: One small mistake, and they’ll make you pay.
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui:
“It is true City is one of the best teams around the world for sure, in history, but it is true too that in the second half we have been very close to a draw.
“The start has been perfect for us, too, but against this kind of team, if you make a mistake, they don’t forgive. This is one of the differences they have. One small mistake makes, they’ll make you pay; they’ll make us pay—one wrong moment.”
“If you don’t take your chances in the end, they will not forgive you. It is a frustration as the players gave a big effort and in the second half we deserved more. They have incredible players with many solutions but I am frustrated for my players as they deserved more.”
Pep: You have to let Erling do what he wants
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola:
“We played really good. West Ham are always dangerous. [Lucas] Paqueta can attack with [Mohammed] Kudus; the sense of danger is never over.”
“We played really well; it was an unfortunate goal against. The second half was more open, but we controlled it better, and the performance was good. Officially, the pre-season is now over. We played one game a week, and it was a super season. Now they play two a week.”
Regarding Erling Haaland, Guardiola mentioned: “From the beginning, he was unbelievable. The third goal is something unique. With this mindset, he has everything he can do, including the numbers with the shortage and the games he’s played. He’s loved for what he does on the pitch.”
“You have to let him do what he wants. He scored three goals today, but he didn’t lose one ball. Today is one of the games where he has played the best in all situations. When you see the games and see what we want to do, he understands because he is a smart guy. He wants to score goals.”
I am ready for more – Haaland
Player of the Match Haaland, on scoring his first away hat-trick in the Premier League, said:
“I did not know that, to be honest, but I guess it is a great thing. I am happy. And, of course, the three points is the most important thing.”
“I feel good. I feel energized. I had a long vacation and a long pre-season, so I am feeling good. The years I have been here it has gone really quick – like, bam, bam, bam – so now I have got a little rest in my body and my feet. I feel really good now, and I am ready for more.”
“Only footballers know how important it is to have a long enough break. In the end, you need to calm down your body and your mind because it is a long season, and it is not as easy as people think.”
“This is what I have been doing my whole life, exactly this movement. But normally we don’t meet this kind of teams. Normally, they drop much more. But obviously West Ham needed a goal and the line was higher so I had the chance to go in behind.”
Beauty and the Beast from Haaland – Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp of Sky Sports:
“What I’ve loved about his performance today is his first touch. For the first goal, it allows him to open up his body and roll it into the corner.
“For the second goal, his right foot chops it back onto his left foot, and that enabled him to hit.”
“The first goal was a thing of beauty. That was a beast. Beauty and the Beast today. What’s terrifying for every defender is that he looks better than ever.”
“He looks confident, and he looks happy. Every player smiles when they have the hat-trick ball, but you could see it before the game. Last season, he scored loads of goals, but they were harder to come by.”
“Here, he scored different types of goals. It was the full repertoire. He bludgeons it for his second, and he caresses the third. It was beautiful to see. I don’t know how you stop this guy.”
West Ham’s poor record – Opta stats
West Ham have yet to win in 10 home games against Man City (D3 L7), their longest winless streak against any team since 1994.
Under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City is unbeaten in all 17 Premier League games against West Ham (W15 D2), the longest streak for any manager in Premier League history.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has scored seven goals in the first three Premier League games of the 2024/25 season, the highest total by any player in a team’s opening three games.
Manchester City have won 19 of their 22 Premier League games in 2024 (D3). The only time a team has won more in their first 22 league games of a calendar year was Manchester City in 2019, with 20 wins.
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