West Ham 1-3 Manchester City: Champions fight back to move top of the Premier League after Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland netted… with James Ward-Prowse having given the hosts the lead

• James Ward-Prowse opened the scoring for the hosts before Jeremy Doku equalised shortly after half-time 
• City went on to seal all three points and cap off the comeback after Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland netted
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off! 

Erling Haaland got there in the end. An afternoon that was perhaps his most underwhelming since arriving in England ended in a goal. It (almost) always does. 

Julian Alvarez with the slick ball through to play Bernardo Silva into space who provided the cross for Haaland. One touch, one look and a shot across Alphonse Areola was enough. It sat in the bottom corner and the Norwegian ran to the corner of Manchester City fans who chanted his name.

This was the 86th minute. So in the end it was all very predictable, very Man City. 

That doesn’t really do justice to the tussle at the London Stadium and sheer weird unpredictability of Haaland. He also almost scored what might have been the goal of the season. And he missed two of the simplest chances ever.

In addition, City strained at times with West Ham’s indefatigability. It’s a pretty thin straw for City’s rivals to clutch at, but there were times when the set piece delivery of James Ward Prowse, the tireless running of Michail Antonio and mercurial creativity of Lucas Paqueta looked like they might just curtail City. 

Manchester City fought back from behind to beat West Ham and move to the top of the Premier League

Bernardo Silva latched onto Julian Alvarez’s pass and lofted his effort over the onrushing Alphonse Areola

Jeremy Doku (second from right) scored his first City goal to haul the champions back on level terms after half-time

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MATCH FACTS

West Ham: Areola, Coufal (Kehrer, 87), Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson, Soucek (Ings, 87), Alvarez (Benrahma, 68), Bowen, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta, Antonio (Kudus, 67)

Subs not used: Fabianski, Cresswell, Fornals, Mavropanos, Ogbonna

Goals: Ward-Prowse 36

Bookings: Alvarez, Soucek, Paqueta

Manager: David Moyes

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol (Ake 90+5), Rodri, Silva (Bobb, 90+5), Foden (Nunes, 67), Alvarez, Doku (Gomez, 90+3), Haaland (Lewis, 90+4)

Subs not used: Phillips, Ortega, Carson

Goals: Doku 46, Silva 76, Haaland 86

Bookings: Gvardiol, Rodri

Manager: Pep Guardiola 

A tall order of course and one that ultimately couldn’t be fulfilled. But City were made to at least break sweat for this victory. They had started as though they would adopt their familiar routine of passing you into submission. 

Normally we know where this ends but they happened to find a day Haaland had seemingly lost his superpowers and they had been temporarily transferred to Alphonse Areola.

The West Ham goalkeeper put down an early marker for an extraordinary performance, making four athletic and crucial interventions in twenty seconds from a seventh minute corner, first denying Rodri, then punching a Foden cross away, then saving from Haaland before tipping over from Ruben Dias’ header.

But the first of two really stunning moments came on 14 minutes, when Josko Gvardiol rolled the ball across the box to Haaland, who, four yards out, scuffed his shot wide. 

There was a momentary silence, as though everyone needed time to compute what they had just witnessed before the jeers broke out.

Doku clinically dispatched beyond Areola just a minute after the restart to kickstart City’s comeback in the capital

Erling Haaland was forced to wait for his goal but eventually notched City’s third to kill off the contest in its final stages

Haaland had previously been denied by Areola despite his acrobatic volley appearing set to nestle in the top corner

James Ward-Prowse had headed the hosts into the lead against the run of play after meeting an inch-perfect cross

Fast forward to 43 minutes and this time is was Jeremy Doku, working well down the left, crossing into Haaland’s path. This time he hesitated, didn’t get any power and dribbled the ball goal-wards which allowed Nayef Aguerd to get back and stop it on the line.

In between those two extraordinary misses West Ham had taken the lead when Doku miscontrolled, Gvardiol switched off and Valdimir Coufal was allowed to race forward down the right. 

The cross he rolled into the path of James Ward Prwose was superb. The finish though was also fine, first time coming onto the ball to shoot past Ederson.

West Ham got to half time their lead in tact, had their time out and team talk and yet still managed to concede 45 minutes into the second half. City’s first crisp passing sequence of the second period saw Alvarezx slip the ball through to Doku, who cut inside to strike and score his first City goal. 

Quickly after Alvarez smashed a free kick off the bar and then Rodri played the most-delightful chipped ball into the path of Haaland, who performed that amazing mid-air volley routine he has, where he defies gravity, giant limbs seem to fly in all directions but he ends up smashing the ball goal-wards from a seemingly impossible position. On this occasion, Areola saved again but it would have been goal of the season.

Ward-Prowse was brave in beating Ederson to the ball and dispatching his header beyond City’s rooted goalkeeper

Pep Guardiola’s side shook off their early hammer blow and moved through the gears in slick fashion to beat their opponents

That said, Ederson had to be smart of his line to deny Antonio bearing down on goal and then produced a wonderful save to tip away Zouma’s header from another near-perfect Ward Prowse corner. 

The contest was absorbing and not all one side.

The moment that suggested this would all be in vain came on 76 minutes when Alvarez, outstanding, chipped his own ball into the path of Bernardo Silva. Nayef Aguerd probably should have dealt with it more decisively but Silva got his foot up high to strike home.

Haaland, following it up, seemed to miss a chance to push it over the line. His contribution would finish the game on 86 minutes.

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.

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