Jack Grealish slid the ball into open space and history beckoned for Erling Haaland. The Manchester City striker had yet to finish and it hadn’t been his night so far, but did we doubt him for even a second? Of course not.
Waiting for the right moment, Haaland flicked the ball over Lukasz Fabianski with his left foot as the West Ham goalkeeper ran to the edge of his penalty area. Fabianski got a hand to the ball, but couldn’t prevent it from falling into the net.
So there we had it. A 35th Premier League goal of the season, eclipsing the record set by Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer in the mid-1990s. An incredible achievement with five league games of the season to go.
Haaland’s 51st-place finish in all competitions also sealed City’s ninth-straight win as they bounce back to the top of the table at the Etihad on Wednesday night. Both felt equally predictable.
It will be of little consolation to Arsenal that City are not actually playing very well. Averaged at Fulham on Sunday, Pep Guardiola’s side were little better here for long periods.
Erling Haaland celebrates scoring for Manchester City in their 3-0 victory over West Ham United on Wednesday night
The striker made his breakthrough in the second half, lifting Lukasz Fabianksi (not pictured) across the finish line to score his side’s second goal.
Haaland celebrates his goal that lifted City back to the top of the Premier League table one point above Arsenal
But on the 25th anniversary of City’s relegation to the third tier, Nathan Ake’s goal early in the second half, Haaland’s historic goal and Phil Foden’s late volley put Guardiola in sight of a fifth title in the last six years.
The worrying thing for Arsenal is that City has course and distance in the Premier League title races. Of Guardiola’s four successes over the last five years, two came against Manchester United with games to spare and two against Liverpool on the final day – including that incredible comeback against Aston Villa here 12 months ago.
City finds ways to win whatever the circumstances and the scenario could hardly look more favourable.
They take on Leeds at the Etihad on Saturday, when Guardiola will have the chance to put Sam Allardyce’s rather brash claims about him to the test at his revelation.
City should be four points clear at the top with a game in hand by the time Arsenal face a precarious trip to Newcastle on Sunday.
Any hope that West Ham could please them was dramatically dashed before kick-off when it emerged that a germ in the camp had forced David Moyes to send home Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Nayef Aguerd.
“We picked our team last night but two or three of them are sick and there’s nothing we can do about it,” said Moyes, who could only name seven substitutes on the bench. “We didn’t have time to pick up youth players.”
Guardiola made a few adjustments, as he often does. The biggest call involved replacing Ederson with Stefan Ortega, but the German goalkeeper was never going to have the busiest of nights.
Haaland’s 35th goal of the season sets a new Premier League record, beating Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s 34
After some stubborn resistance from West Ham, Nathan Ake headed City ahead from a free kick in the second half
Ake celebrates his goal that brought relief to the Etihad Stadium and kick-started the game in the hosts’ favor
After Haaland’s strike, Phil Foden ended the game five minutes from time with a nice volley that required a heavy deflection.
The substitute is congratulated by Grealish and his teammates as City went on to claim a comfortable victory
City largely dominated the meeting at the Etihad Stadium, especially in possession Bank score
Lukasz Fabianski, on the other hand, had more on his mind, but not nearly as much as Guardiola would have liked in the first half.
The Pole moved right to avert Riyad Mahrez’s first try in the ninth minute, but that was his only notable save before the break.
A combination of West Ham’s high press and a disciplined defensive effort kept City at bay for a long time, but the champions lacked their usual rhythm and penetration. A slip here, a misplaced pass there. “Come on City,” the Etihad urged impatiently.
It was the 24th minute before we saw Haaland when he headed a header off the far post wide of the post. Guardiola came out of the dugout for the first time, presumably to get some fresh air so he didn’t fall asleep.
It took West Ham’s best chance of the half to wake City from their slumber. Jarrod Bowen fouled Ake on a throw-in, but couldn’t beat Ortega from a tight angle.
City reacted immediately. Jones Stones played the ball wide of Grealish who cut in and drilled a shot against the outside of Fabianski’s near post.
Moments later, Ruben Dias exchanged passes with Haaland on the edge of the box and slipped as he curled a shot past Fabianski. The ball hit a post and went over the goal, but just missed the other upright as it went out of play.
A distressed Guardiola, dressed all in black, wandered through his tech room, arms outstretched, muttering to himself.
His mood changed within five minutes of the restart as City came out with a spring in their step and took the lead.
Thilo Kehrer almost won the ball after knocking down Haaland in the second half in City’s penalty area on Wednesday
Haaland watches as the Manchester City manager gives instructions to Rodri during a tricky first half for the home side
David Moyes’ side were plagued with illness and injuries before the game and the defeat heightened their relegation concerns
It started with another foul on Grealish, which gave Flynn Downes a booking. Mahrez slid a free kick towards the back post and West Ham were found wanting for the first time. Angelo Ogbonna got under the ball, leaving Ake with a free header on the back post which he rammed past Fabianski.
City pressed on and the second goal came from a mistake by West Ham as they gave the ball away in the center circle. It was quickly moved to Grealish playing in Haaland and the Norwegian did the rest.
Substitute Foden then scored with a deflected volley off Emerson Palmieri, recording City’s 1,000th goal in all competitions under Guardiola.
It’s hard to see City relinquishing their lead now. Moyes, meanwhile, hopes his team has enough in the tank to stay afloat. They played very well here in the circumstances. There is no shame in losing to this City team and Erling Haaland.