Turnovers in midfield and 70-yard retreats to stop counterattacks. Maybe Erling Haaland is becoming the complete Pep Guardiola player after all. Or what his critics expect a Pep Guardiola player to be, anyway.
This was one of his best nights in a Manchester City shirt. Not especially for the goals (he scores whenever and wherever), but for his touch, his look. For a time, the most phenomenal goalscorer in world football dominated east London.
Haaland has revealed he has never felt fitter, something that had prompted complaints of muscle fatigue behind the scenes just a few weeks ago, and now there is further evidence: a second treble in eight days. Not many people have been questioning lately whether he fits into a Guardiola team. How curious.
There were moments, though, that City don’t always see from the Norwegian. A quick run into midfield to win possession sparked a sharp counter-attack that Jack Grealish could have finished off. Then a sprint with Michail Antonio, following a disorganised City corner, frustrated West Ham and hurt them on the counter-attack, leaving the opposition’s No9 out of play. He was almost the last man.
Will he come into these games without the confidence that comes from the purity of two first-half finishes that left him head and shoulders above any of his teammates? Possibly not; the two facets of his performance are likely to go hand in hand.
Erling Haaland scored another hat-trick as Manchester City beat West Ham 3-1 on Saturday
Striker Haaland now averages more than a goal per game in his Premier League career
Manchester City’s No. 9 superstar has scored 70 goals in 69 Premier League games during his career.
All three goals, in the 10th, 30th and 83rd minutes, were the result of a precise first touch. A pass that was ahead of him to inflict maximum damage. The first, after a pass between central defenders from Bernardo Silva, delicately snuck into Alphonese Areola’s far corner. The second, after a selfless pass from Rico Lewis, snuck into the West Ham net with unstoppable devastation. The third, to seal the points, went blatantly wide.
Seven goals in three Premier League games. Obviously the long summer has done him good. But he scored a lot of goals last year and there were still some lingering doubts about his performances, so the difference is how those numbers are earned, the clarity and confidence of it all, and what he does elsewhere on the pitch.
The instinctive strike from outside the area that earned him his hat-trick last week against Ipswich Town – just his fifth from more than 18 yards for City – spoke of someone with renewed arrogance. The run against West Ham spoke of someone with renewed vigour. When he receives passes forward, he doesn’t leave himself so short that he gives himself more room to manoeuvre. The things he’s working on are definitely working.
And that certainly gives those who follow it an extra boost. City definitely needed to push hard against West Ham – and at times, it looked like they were dropping points like Arsenal – but when they were in control, which was for much of the game, it felt like there was only one team.
West Ham received some encouragement, some from themselves and some from City. A Ruben Dias own goal came between Haaland’s first-half strikes, and the 19th-minute equaliser was largely down to Mateo Kovacic jumping to win the ball back with too much abandon.
Kovacic has admitted his desire to be involved further up the pitch is hurting him when replacing Rodri and that was made clear when Lucas Paqueta, who would have been wearing City’s nostalgic 1999 away shirt had it not been for an FA investigation, slipped Jarrod Bowen across the right and his cross deflected off Dias.
Haaland found the net in the 10th, 30th and 83rd minutes at West Ham’s London Stadium
The final goal of Saturday’s match was confirmed after a VAR check for a possible offside.
Pep Guardiola on the touchline during Saturday’s emphatic away win in London
Haaland smiled as he collected the match ball from referee Michael Oliver after the end of the match.
West Ham made City nervous from the start and for 20 minutes after the break. Mohammed Kudus hit the post, as a rejuvenated Kevin De Bruyne had done earlier, and Bowen was causing all kinds of problems for Josko Gvardiol down the right.
Julen Lopetegui has found the solution after a summer of heavy signings and the high-octane nature of his new ideas should leave clubs baffled as they leave this place. Chelsea and Manchester United are due to arrive here in the next two months and will not be looking forward to the prospect.
The away side were a little more composed. Guardiola praised Lopetegui as West Ham galloped through empty areas of midfield, sacrificing Jeremy Doku for Ilkay Gundogan in an attempt to regain control. By giving Kovacic extra support, seeing Silva slow down play on the flanks, City looked to calm things down.
Lukasz Fabianski, who came on at half-time in place of Areola, had saved Silva’s shot, while Dias could have headed in at the far post. Max Kilman headed wide from Bowen’s corner. Tomas Soucek lost the ball when he came close to equalising. Noel Gallagher, taking a break from counting his money, squirmed in the luxury seats. Guardiola flailed his legs in agitation.
They needn’t have worried. With seven minutes remaining, Haaland was already back in the lead. With a pass from Matheus Nunes under his spell, eyes went blank and Fabianski could do nothing but surrender to the shot that came over his body. While City may not be at their best yet, the main man leading them certainly is.