Manchester City won 20 straight games in all competitions after they beat West Ham United at Etihad Stadium by 2-1 in the Premier League.
Ruben Dias opened the scoring for Pep Guardiola’s side but Michail Antonio equalised before the first half. This was the first goal conceded by Manchester City from open play at home. In the second half, John Stones scored the winning goal.
With this win, Manchester City went 13 points ahead of second place with 62 points in 26 games. It was their 14th consecutive victory in the league.
West Ham remained in 4th place with 45 points in 26 matches. The performance from this game will give them a boost in the race for the top four.
Manchester City 2-1 West Ham United Team News:
Manchester City made few changes in the side as Sergio Aguero started in the Premier League for the first time since October. Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero started together after almost a year.
Joao Cancelo was rested and Kyle Walker came into the right-back position. Ruben Dias and John Stones were the defensive pairings for the Cityzens. Raheem Sterling also rested and Ferran Tor+res replaced him.
West Ham went with the back three system. Michail Antonio led the line for the Hammers. Their successful midfield pair Tomas Soucek started. Jesse Lingard was also in the starting lineup for West Ham United.
Manchester City 2-1 West Ham United Post-match Analysis:
West Ham manager David Moyes was happier at the break. His game plan went perfectly and Manchester City struggled to break down the defensive structure of the Hammers.
But Manchester City got the lead on the 30th-minute mark which was their first attempt, De Bruyne’s outstanding long ball off his left foot, and Ruben Dias scored his first Manchester City goal.
West Ham could have found the equaliser earlier off a great cross from the right but Antonio could not keep it on target. Eventually, Moyes’ side found the equaliser right at the death, a cross came from the right and Jesse Lingard miss kick fell perfectly for Antonio at the back post who finished it calmly.
Manchester City were way better than they were in the first half. De Bruyne had an opportunity after his solo run into the box, but his pass did not reach Aguero. The city found the winning goal from another centre-back this time John Stones. Manchester City’s corner half-cleared by West Ham and Riyad Mahrez delivered a ball to Stones and he took the chance brilliantly.
At the very end of the game, West Ham had a great chance to equalise but defender Issa Diop put his head off the goal.
Notable Performances:
Ruben Dias(CB) – (7.5/10)(Manchester City): Scored the opening goal and also excellent defensively as well. He has been the best centre back since his arrival in the summer.
John Stones(CB) – (7.5/10)(Manchester City): He scored the second and the winning goal. He was pretty solid in defence to give his team three more points.
Sergio Aguero(CF) – (5/10)(Manchester City): Started after almost five months but he didn’t look up to the pace yet. He was absolutely anonymous throughout the game.
Manchester City will play next against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on 2nd March and West Ham‘s next game is against Leeds United in the league on 8th March.
