West Ham vs. Manchester City result, highlights & analysis as Erling Haaland double launches Pep Guardiola's title defence

Dom Farrell

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West Ham vs. Manchester City result, highlights & analysis as Erling Haaland double launches Pep Guardiola's title defence image

Erling Haaland scored a brace on his Manchester City debut to launch his new side's Premier League title defence with a 2-0 win over West Ham United.

Haaland drew a blank in his maiden City outing in last weekend's Community Shield defeat to Liverpool but was on the money at London Stadium.

The Norway star latched on to Ilkay Gundogan's clever pass and was brought down by Alphonse Areola before sending West Ham's substitute goalkeeper the wrong way from the penalty spot.

David Moyes' side were feeling their way back into the contest before Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland combined in devastating fashion after 65 minutes to seal the points.

West Ham vs. Manchester City live score

  1H 2H Final
West Ham 0 0 —
Manchester City 1 1 —

Goals:

MCI — HAALAND (PEN) — 36th min

MCI — HAALAND (DE BRUYNE) — 65th min

West Ham started on the front foot, with Michail Antonio heading narrowly over from Pablo Fornals’ fourth-minute cross, but the game soon settled into the expected pattern as City hogged 79 percent of first-half possession.

De Bruyne dragged wide from 20 yards after Joao Cancelo darted infield from left-back and the Belgium midfielder had the ball in the net in the 27th minute, only for Gundogan to have strayed offside during the build-up.

Picking the ball out of the net was Lukasz Fabianski's last act after he failed to shake off an injury from an earlier collision with Haaland and City's new No.9 was about to cause Moyes' men even more pain.

Gundogan produced a deft turn and a measured pass to match, with Haaland darting through to be brought down by Areola as he attempted to round him. Riyad Mahrez missed a crucial penalty on this ground in May but the 22-year-old made no such mistake, slotting into the bottom-left corner with aplomb.

City's level dropped in sweltering temperatures around the hour and substitute Said Benrahma had West Ham's first shot on target in the 63rd minute. Two minutes later, it was game over.

Rodri worked possession to De Bruyne in prime position and he did not need a second invitation to slot in his new partner in crime. Haaland opened his body to dispatch a cool finish beyond Areola; it looks like there will be plenty more to come.
 

De Bruyne and Haaland give glimpse of lethal Man City link-up

For an hour at London Stadium, it wasn't really happening for De Bruyne. Manchester City's creative fulcrum can have afternoons like that: he's arguably the finest midfielder in Europe, but when he's off, he's really off. There was a sense of him trying to force things a little against a well-stocked West Ham defence. Perhaps all the talk of how deadly he and Haaland would be in tandem played a part.

If there's a lesson De Bruyne can glean from the game-sealing goal, it's that there's no need to force it. Haaland's movement is so ruthless that there'll be an opportunity to stick a chance on a plate for him soon enough. When the moment came, there appeared little danger of De Bruyne fluffing his lines. His three key passes were the most by any City player, while Haaland scored from both of his shots on target.

"What he gives us is his qualities," Guardiola said of Haaland when speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, before offering some observations that could be read as gentle encouragement to his longest-serving star De Bruyne. "The way we are going to play is not going to change much. We are going to adapt. We have a threat there. He is an incredible deep runner, a good finisher. I would say that he is adapting perfectly in the way we want him to play. As the games go through we are going to find him more, more, more and give him the opportunity to score goals."

How Pep Guardiola won the tactical battle against David Moyes

City were 2-0 down and felt their title slipping away at West Ham last May. They rallied to claim a 2-2 draw but in the corresponding fixture in 2020/21, Phil Foden had to come off the bench to rescue a draw. West Ham also ended their monopoly on the Carabao Cup last season, winning on penalties after a 0-0 draw at London Stadium.

That body of work suggested something had to change and, as is often the case when confronted with a tactical conundrum, Guardiola turned towards his full-backs for the solution. Typically last season, Joao Cancelo would tuck into midfield alongside Rodri or in a more advanced position and the other full-back would form a back three alongside the two centre-backs in possession.

On Sunday, Cancelo and Kyle Walker played in a narrow configuration either side of Rodri. The effect was a robust barrier across the midfield that West Ham's counter-attacks ran roughshod through during the previous meeting. It helped Guardiola's side to control proceedings and block off West Ham's preferred avenues of attack. It's a long time since Declan Rice was so peripheral in a big game.

Barcelona links might not be the reason for no Bernardo Silva

When the team sheets dropped, it was easy to interpret Bernardo Silva being benched as a gentle slap down from Guardiola, as the branches from Barcelona's magic money tree continue to flap in the Portugal midfielder's direction. However, Silva reportedly wanted to leave last summer and went on to be City's best player during the first half of the season.

It is more likely Guardiola had purely strategic motivations. During the closing weeks of last season, Silva often played deeper alongside Rodri, clearing the floor for De Bruyne at the peak of his form. Walker and Cancelo adding themselves to the midfield barrier meant City's other midfielder could get closer to the striker at West Ham. Among Gundogan's ample qualities is an intuitive sense of where to be in the pockets of space just outside and within the penalty area. He showed this during his two-goal salvo against Aston Villa in May.

Opportunities to feed off second balls are likely to be more plentiful with Haaland taking on deep-lying defences, so expect to see more of Gundogan in these fixtures. Also, his ability to create in tight spaces was there for all to see on the opening goal.

MORE: How will Erling Haaland fit in at Man City? Will he be Pep Guardiola's top earner?

West Ham vs. Manchester City commentary and highlights

Fulltime: That's that. The Erling has landed. City almost completely shutdown a West Ham side that has given them all sorts of problems over the past couple of seasons. As such, those encounters were a lot more fun for the neutral, but Guardiola will be very happy with a professional opening day at the office, especially after Liverpool's slip on the other side of London yesterday.

90th minute+1: City have a corner after Zouma blocked a shot from Alvarez that was really travelling with most of his face. Ouch.

90th minute: Bowen gave City nightmares here three months ago but they've done a job on him today. Cancelo skips a cross to end the England forward's latest foray.

88th minute: City just strung together one of those passing moves that felt like it began last month. West Ham clear Silva's eventual cross behind for a corner. Palmer, Mahrez and debutant Phillips will replace Foden, De Bruyne and the imperious Rodri for the last knockings.

85th minute: Handy fella to bring on, Bernardo Silva, who shows his terrier-like qualities to snuff out a West Ham attack down the City left.

81st minute: Remember that lovely shot into the bottom corner from Rodri on the final day of last season? Well he's had another shot, but it was a bit rubbish and went wide.

78th minute: Double change for City and there'll be no hat-trick for Haaland, who makes way for Alvarez. Silva replaces Gundogan to give the City midfield the configuration many expected from kick-off. Guardiola's number eight has been excellent, though.

77th minute: Grealish has really kicked through the gears over the past 15 minutes or so. His shuffling feet find room to shoot wide of the near post.

73rd minute: Scamacca gives Ederson a bit of work to do. The offside flag was up, but it's a reminder that West Ham aren't quite done just yet.

72nd minute: De Bruyne looks for Haaland again but it's just cut out. The radar is on. Nurse!

70th minute: Haaland should have his hat-trick. Grealish produces some nice close control and chips to the near post but the striker's header flies towards the stand where his father is currently joining in with City's away day celebrations.

69th minute: That really was a sucker punch for a West Ham side who were enjoying their best moment of the game. This is hardly news, but that's an edge that City did not have to their game last season and Haaland's very presence means they can negotiate periods of opposition pressure with more confidence.

65th minute: GOOOAAALL!!! HAALAND!!!!

Who else? And that's the link-up the rest of the Premier League will dread. West Ham were on the attack but Grealish and Rodri fashioned a counter-attack to get De Bruyne charging towards the opposition goal. The Belgium star has been below par by his own standards today, but the through ball was immaculate and Haaland found a finish to match.

63rd minute: That's more like it from West Ham, who finally register their first shot on target. They attack down the City left and the ball works its way over to Benrahma, whos strike is gathered in straightforward fashion by Ederson.

62nd minute: Speak of the devil! Foden combines beautifully with De Bruyne. Neither a sliding Haaland or an upright Gundogan can convert his cross.

60th minute: This is an interesting period for a City team now without Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus. Their high-intensity work was often useful when it came to getting Guardiola's side back on track if the tempo had slipped. Perhaps that's the job of new man Julian Alvarez now, who is among the substitutes today. Wild forwards Grealish and Foden haven't been particularly effective.

57th minute: Anyway, the crowd are alive again here and they cheer new signing Scamacca onto the field alongside Benrahma. Antonio and Lanzini are the men to make way.

56th minute: More slack stuff from City. Lanzini tries a shot from way downtown but it's blocked. Of course, the problem with attacking City is giving them and their new striker room to break. Gundogan just can't find Haaland in the West Ham box.

54th minute: The game had started to drift and that error from Gundogan might rouse City. The midfielder gives the ball away inside the defensive third and West Ham pounce. The end result is Rice blazing over and he probably should have done better.

49th minute: Ake is forced to hoick one out of play on halfway under pressure from Fornals after Dias' pass sells him short. John Stones missed a bit of pre-season and Aymeric Laporte is injured. Without either of those two, City do lack a little of their usual assurance playing out from the back.

48th minute: We're back underway and things are as they were before halftime, with City continuing to probe. De Bruyne just called an inviting ball to the back post but no one was there. That sort of thing will still happen from time to time, even with Haaland around.

Halftime: Not a vintage 45 minutes from City by any means, but Haaland's first Premier League goal is in the books and, as Liverpool and Manchester United might tell Pep Guardiola, opening weekend drama is sooooo over-rated this season. Grab some refreshments and we'll see you back here shortly.

45th minute+4: Chance for West Ham here, though, as Cancelo blunders into Bowen and is booked for a particularly stupid foul. The free-kick sums up the Hammers' efforts as it doesn't get beyond the first man.

43rd minute: West Ham's enterprising start certainly feels like a long time ago, with the hosts struggling to knit together much of note in the City half. Bowen thought he'd won a corner off Ake just then but the linesman disagreed.

36th minute: GOAL!!!! HAALAND (PEN)

Haaland sidefoots powerfully into the bottom left corner. Areola dived the wrong way but if he'd guessed correctly, it wouldn't have mattered. Great penalty.

35th minute: Penalty to City! Lovely nimble work by Gundogan and Areola brings down Haaland, who has grabbed the ball.

33rd minute: De Bruyne blooters a pass over Grealish's head and out for a throw. Not something you see every day and evidence that City, for all their possession, haven't really got going here.

31st minute: Antonio, who is having to get through a fair bit of selfless running, has also had a bit of a hobble. The physio has patched him up and he's back in the fray.

27th minute: City have the ball in the net through De Bruyne but Gundogan is rightly flagged offside. Grealish arguably held on to possession a fraction too long before finding Haaland to lay it off to the Germany midfielder. Picking the ball out of the net was Fabianski's last act. He's in too much discomfort to continue and on comes Areola, who is a very able deputy.

22nd minute: Haaland certainly is a handful when ball are swung in, giving City an obvious new dimension. On this occasion, it's pretty uncomfortable for Fabianski, who collides with the big Norwegian and needs treatment. The players take the opportunity to have some drinks, with temperatures above 30 degrees celsius in London.

21st minute: Haaland was, if you believe the photos, a boyhood City fan at that point. With fond memories of Bianchi bouncing around his brain, he almost gets on the end of Foden's cross. 

18th minute: The last time City had a big-money striker making his debut at West Ham on the opening day of the season, Rolando Bianchi had scored by this point at Upton Park in 2007. Up your game, eh, Erling?

14th minute: That's the beauty of playing Cancelo in an inverted role, with the Portugal full-back smoothly gliding past a couple of challenges in-field to find De Bruyne. The playmaker's shot is unusually wasteful from 20 yards and bobbles harmlessly wide.

12th minute: Grealish gets some stick for going down easily sometimes, but Coufal absolutely scythed towards the England man there. Haaland gets a touch of sorts as a penalty area scramble gets booted into his face.

11th minute: Haaland hasn't has a touch yet. Mind you, neither have West Ham much for the past five minutes or so as City shuffle the ball around and get into their groove.

6th minute: Grealish, Gundogan and Cancelo all combine tidily down the left, with the former's cross comfortably grasped by Fabianski. Without Silva in the line-up and with Foden starting on the right-hand side, that City left-flank is very, very right footed.

4th minute: Cancelo tries to get something moving from left-back while wearing number seven on his back. Sorry to be all "yer Da" but that just looks really weird.

2nd minute: West Ham pile forward early on, with Antonio the focal point as expected. He earns an early corner, which leads to some chaos in the City box and a fine block from Ake. Then Antonio rises above the City defence to head over. 

5 mins to KO: Loads of bubbles (in your face, Mike Dean) and we're ready to roll

20 mins to KO: Of course, Haaland is not the only attacking reinforcement at City this season. Julian Alvarez has arrived in prime form from River Plate and went one better than his new teammate by scoring in the defeat to Liverpool last weekend. The Argentina international looks far more like the archetypal Guardiola forward and his ability to play anywhere across the front three and press rabidly should mean Gabriel Jesus' departure to Arsenal is not too keenly felt.

40 mins to KO: West Ham's transformation into a top-half force under David Moyes over the past couple of seasons has altered the London Stadium's reputation as one of City's favourite grounds. Prior to their scare during the title run-in in May, the Blues needed Foden to snatch a 1-1 draw during a patchy start to the 2020/21 season. During both Guardiola's first season at City and West Ham's first in their new home, the Hammers absorbed 5-0 and 4-0 FA Cup and Premier League defeats in the space of a month. In City's back-to-back title wins in 2017/18 and 2018/19, there were 4-1 and 4-0 wins for the visitors.

This fixture was last staged on the opening weekend in 2019, with City romping to a 5-0 victory thanks to a hat-trick from the now departed Raheem Sterling. Can Haaland do something similar today?

TEAM NEWS: 

Manchester City hand Erling Haaland his Premier League debut, with Phil Foden and Jack Grealish in support in the attack. Interestingly, Bernardo Silva, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona, is on the bench, while Nathan Ake partners Ruben Dias in defence.

Man City lineup (4-3-3): Ederson (GK) — Walker, Dias, Ake, Cancelo — De Bruyne, Rodrigo, Gundogan (C) — Foden, Haaland, Grealish.

Man City subs (9): Moreno, Phillips, Stones, Alvarez, Silva, Mahrez, Palmer, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand

New West Ham signing Gianluca Scamacca is a substitute for the home side, who have Michail Antonio leading the line. Declan Rice starts his first league match as club captain.

West Ham lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski (GK) — Coufal, Zouma, Cresswell, Johnson — Rice (C), Soucek — Lanzini, Bowen, Fornals — Antonio.

West Ham subs (9): Areola, Randolph, Ashby, Coventry, Downes, Okoflex, Vlasic, Benrahma, Scamacca

1 hour 20 mins to KO: One interpretation is that Haaland will help to solve precisely the sort of problems City encountered during the penultimate game of last season at the London Stadium. Guardiola's men turned things around through sheer force of will having gone in 2-0 behind at the break, with Riyad Mahrez's late failure from the penalty spot meaning they had to settle for a share of the spoils. Before that, West Ham sat deep, soaked up pressure and numerous crosses and were ruthless on the break with two Jarrod Bowen goals. 

Speaking to Alan Shearer on BBC Football Focus this weekend, Haaland conceded he is not the most proficient in the air despite his towering stature. Nevertheless, his penalty-box expertise might mean teams are more reluctant to simply let City pepper their box. In turn, that might make room for the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva to scheme expertly in-field.

1 hour 40 mins to KO: "I'll be lying on a beach next year — Craig Dawson will be marking Erling Haaland," Mark Noble joked when the West Ham hero bade a fond farewell at the end of last season. The following month's fixture announcement was an example of life coming at Dawson fast, but the experienced defender has certainly bought into the challenge going by his pre-match Twitter activity.

But what will the nature of that challenge be, as City and Haaland begin the work of trying to mesh what appear, on the surface, to be contrasting styles? There was much guffawing at Haaland's performance and, in particular, his late miss in last weekend's Community Shield defeat to Liverpool, but Wayne Rooney certainly does not count himself among the naysayers.

"Manchester City's detractors enjoyed seeing Erling Haaland fail to score in the Community Shield. His misses were played over and over on social media and there were headlines about his 'false start'," he wrote in his Sunday Times column. "I saw the game differently. I saw City's big signing confirm why he is going to get a lot of goals in England and will, in my opinion, prove the difference in the title race."

2 hours to KO: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of West Ham vs. Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's champions have been able to have a look at all the contenders to their crown over the course of the weekend and will launch their bid for a fifth Premier League in six seasons with a few new signings in tow.

West Ham vs. Manchester City lineups

New West Ham signing Gianluca Scamacca is a substitute for the home side, who have Michail Antonio leading the line. Declan Rice starts his first league match as club captain.

West Ham lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski (GK) — Coufal, Zouma, Cresswell, Johnson — Rice (C), Soucek — Lanzini, Bowen, Fornals — Antonio.

West Ham subs (9): Areola, Randolph, Ashby, Coventry, Downes, Okoflex, Vlasic, Benrahma, Scamacca

Manchester City hand Erling Haaland his Premier League debut, with Phil Foden and Jack Grealish in support in the attack. Interestingly, Bernardo Silva, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona, is on the bench.

Aymeric Laporte is a notable absentee, with Guardiola selecting Nathan Ake to partner Ruben Dias at the back.

Man City lineup (4-3-3): Ederson (GK) — Walker, Dias, Ake, Cancelo — De Bruyne, Rodrigo, Gundogan (C) — Foden, Haaland, Grealish.

Man City subs (9): Moreno, Phillips, Stones, Alvarez, Silva, Mahrez, Palmer, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand

MORE: How many teams have won three Premier League titles in a row? Manchester City chasing rare feat in 2022-23

What time is West Ham vs. Manchester City?

West Ham host Manchester City at the London Stadium in London, UK. It kicks off at 4.30 p.m. BST on Sunday, August 7.

  UK USA Canada Australia
August 7/8 Sunday, August 7 Sunday, August 7 Sunday, August 7 Monday, August 8
Time 16:30 BST 11:30 ET 11:30 ET 01:30 AET

How to watch West Ham vs. Manchester City

  UK USA Canada Australia
TV channel Sky Sports Main Event,
Sky Sports Premier League,
Sky Ultra HD		 Telemundo — —
Streaming Sky GO / NOW TV fuboTV, Peacock fuboTV Optus Sport

UK: The match will be televised and streamed by Sky Sports in the UK.

USA: West Ham vs. Man City will be only be televised by Telemundo in Spanish, and that channel is streamed by fuboTV. The English-language broadcast is available only via stream on NBC streaming platform Peacock.

Canada: Every Premier League game in Canada streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.