West Ham United 1-3 Manchester City
Premier League, London Stadium, Saturday 16 September 2023, 3pm
West Ham United’s unbeaten start to the 2023/24 season was ended by a 3-1 defeat by Manchester City at London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Irons took the lead for the fifth straight top-flight fixture through James Ward-Prowse’s diving header, and led 1-0 at half-time, but were unable to hold off the treble winners in the second half.
Jérémy Doku levelled within seconds of the restart before Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland ruined the Irons’ afternoon by scoring in the final 15 minutes.
On a day when another flamboyant character, Italian forward Paolo Di Canio, returned to east London, it was a combination of resilience, flair and creativity that David Moyes’ side showed, but it was not quite enough to deny Pep Guardiola’s team all three points.
It was player who personifies those characteristics who scored West Ham’s goal. James Ward-Prowse made it two goals and three assists in his first four Hammers appearances with a superbly placed diving header.
The midfielder’s goal, nine minutes before half-time, was a sublime one, too, as Jarrod Bowen and Vladimír Coufal combined down the right before the Czech delivered a floated cross which Ward-Prowse expertly steered past Ederson.
The home crowd, who had seen Alphonse Areola perform his now customary heroics to deny Rodri and Erling Haaland inside ten seconds early on, the Norwegian spurn a glorious chance and both Phil Foden and Doku denied, roared with delight.
City, who created 17 goal attempts in the first half alone, sought a response, but Haaland was denied by Nayef Aguerd’s goalline clearance, Foden and Doku by blocks, and Rodri sent a low shot narrowly past the post, and it was the Irons who went in ahead at the break.
Less than a minutes after the interval, though, City were level as the Belgian Doku ran at Coufal and slotted a right foot shot inside the far post.
Pep Guardiola’s side sensed an opening and went for it, with Gvardiol firing over, Julián Álvarez hitting the post with a free-kick and Areola keeping out Haaland’s volley with a flying one-handed save, the same player’s header with a secure catch and Gvardiol’s curler with a firm punch.
West Ham still had chances of their own, too, but Ederson smothered Antonio’s effort, Kyle Walker’s last-ditch tackle denied Emerson, then the goalkeeper’s left hand somehow kept out Zouma’s header.
Unfortunately, just when the home supporters would have been thinking of securing a point, City struck their winner. Bernardo Silva passed to Álvarez, who scooped the ball over the Aguerd and the Argentinian beat Areola to the ball and prodded it past the goalkeeper.
With West Ham throwing men forward in search of an equaliser late on, Areola again denied Haaland, but the Premier League’s leading scorer would not be denied, collecting Silva’s pass and firing unerringly into the corner late on.
West Ham United: Areola, Coufal (Kehrer 87), Zouma ©, Aguerd, Emerson, Álvarez (Benrahma 68), Ward-Prowse, Souček (Ings 87), Paquetá, Bowen, Antonio (Kudus 67)
Subs not used: Fabiański (GK), Cresswell, Ogbonna, Mavropanos, Fornals
Goal: Ward-Prowse 36
Booked: Álvarez, Souček, Paquetá
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker ©, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol (Aké 90+5), Rodri, Silva (Bobb 90+5), Foden (Nunes 67), Doku (Gómez 90), Álvarez, Haaland (Lewis 90+4)
Subs not used: Ortega (GK), Carson (GK), Phillips
Goals: Doku 46, Silva 76, Haaland 86
Booked: Gvardiol, Rodri
Referee: Andy Madley
Attendance: 62,475
