Erling Haaland continued his explosive start to the Premier League season by netting a second consecutive hat-trick, propelling Manchester City to a 3-1 victory over West Ham United on Saturday.
This result ensured Pep Guardiola’s squad retained their position at the top of the table.
The Norwegian sensation opened the scoring at the London Stadium just 10 minutes into the match. Although an unfortunate own goal by Ruben Dias briefly brought the hosts level, Haaland struck again on the half-hour mark to restore City’s lead.
Haaland completed his hat-trick in the 84th minute, following up his three-goal performance against Ipswich the previous week, as City maintained a flawless start to their campaign.
This latest haul took Haaland’s tally for the season to seven goals, bringing his total to 97 since his arrival at the Etihad. His remarkable achievement also marked his 11th hat-trick in a City shirt and 24th overall in his career.
City’s victory was well-deserved, continuing their impressive unbeaten run at the London Stadium, where they have never lost in league play.
Before the match, there was a poignant minute’s applause in memory of former City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who sadly passed away earlier in the week.
The match itself began with a nervy start for City, as West Ham created two early chances.
Mikhail Antonio nearly connected with a dangerous looping cross from Mohammed Kudus, only for Josko Gvardiol to intervene.
Moments later, Ederson was called into action to deny a stinging shot from Jared Bowen, with just three minutes on the clock.
City responded by taking control of the game. A flowing passing move culminated in Haaland heading just over the bar from a Bernardo Silva cross.
A subsequent attack down West Ham’s left flank, initiated by Jack Grealish, saw Kevin De Bruyne’s shot blocked in the box.
City’s pressure paid off when Haaland scored his fifth goal of the season in the 11th minute. Bernardo Silva intercepted Emerson’s attempted pass to Lucas Paqueta and played a precise ball to Haaland, who clinically fired past West Ham’s goalkeeper Alphonse Areola to give the reigning champions the lead.
City could have doubled their advantage shortly after, but Grealish missed the target after being picked out by De Bruyne. Areola was then tested again, this time by a sharp effort from De Bruyne after a clever setup by Grealish.
The visitors continued to dominate, and De Bruyne came agonizingly close to adding a second, his shot from the edge of the box hitting the post, with Grealish’s follow-up effort narrowly missing the target.
Despite City’s dominance, West Ham found an equalizer against the run of play in the 21st minute. Bowen’s cross deflected off Dias and into the net, catching Ederson off guard.
Undeterred, City regained their lead just nine minutes later. A well-worked passage of play saw Rico Lewis pick out Haaland on the edge of the box.
The Norwegian striker unleashed a powerful left-footed shot that flew past Areola for his second goal of the game and his sixth of the season.
Haaland nearly turned provider soon after, delivering a sublime pass to Lewis, who was making a run into the West Ham box. However, the youngster’s shot was off target.
West Ham made a substitution at halftime, with Lukasz Fabianski replacing the injured Areola in goal. The Hammers nearly capitalized early in the second half, with Kudus’s left-footed strike hitting the post just after Dias was denied by Max Kilman at the other end.
City had to weather a brief period of pressure from West Ham, with Manuel Akanji making a crucial tackle to prevent Antonio from scoring. Ilkay Gundogan was then brought on for Jeremy Doku to add some fresh energy to City’s midfield.
Dias came close to scoring in the 69th minute, narrowly missing De Bruyne’s cross at the far post. But City and Haaland would not be denied.
A precise pass from substitute Matheus Nunes in the 85th minute found Haaland in space, and the Norwegian did what he does best, finishing expertly to complete his hat-trick and seal another superb win for City.
