Manchester City score three second-half goals to sour West Ham’s hot start

Pep Guardiola said he’s happy to be back, preferring managing games to having surgery. That’s understandable, we guess.

The Catalan wizard loved the day of Jeremy Doku, who provided the equalizer and very much looked to part of the Leroy Sane/Jack Grealish left-sided driver. From the BBC:

“I would say that the first game he was shy and today he was not. It was an unbelievable game. He was a proper winger, have the ball, have the ability to go 1v1. Not just that, he has the quality to read when to make the pass for the next player. I was very happy, it was a very good performance from Jeremy.”

We’ve highlighted Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva in the main recap, but how about Jeremy Doku taking to Pep Guardiola’s set-up like a duck to water?

Doku completed 30-of-35 passes and took 62 touches while putting both of his shots on target including the equalizer. He recovered the ball five times and looks to be a real part of the furniture.

Ward-Prowse was very good for West Ham including his goal, while Edson Alvarez was busy but let his frustration show. The Mexican international lost six of eight duels.

West Ham vs Man City player ratings (fotmob.com)

This is how it goes when you 10 players behind the ball eventually goes wrong.

The winning formula for West Ham most of the season comes up a quarter-hour short of a point.

Shots: 29-6 for Man City

Possession: 69-31 for Man City (75-25 in 2nd half)

xG: 3.14-0.88 Man City.

5-0 on the young season.

It’s another Alvarez assist, and it’s Erling Haaland finally getting on the score sheet.

His 33% success rate won’t please him, but it’s a good goal and his 7th of the season.

3-1, Man City. Ballgame over.

We’ve had 21 players within 30 yards of the West Ham goal line for a long time, and Man City finally find a way through.

Bernardo Silva has been buzzing around and fittingly plays a big role in this one even before his classy finish.

He wins the ball and it’s back to Julian Alvarez, who tries a cheeky scoop pass that should be headed clear by Nayef Aguerd.

But the West Ham center back misses it, and Silva goes airborne outside the right extreme of the 6-yard box to use the outside of his left boot to slap the ball past a parry-attempting Alphonse Areola.

Erling Haaland is there but lets the ball bound inside the far post.

2-1, Man City.

West Ham loves a set piece and Kurt Zouma thuds a header toward the near post.

But no! Ederson is showing that he can do what Alphonse Areola’s been doing all day (and did a few moments prior at the other end).

It’s a great save from the Brazilian, and Ederson is not required to do much on the ensuing corner. Man City back in possession, but wary of the threat.

1-1, still.

Well, that’s that, then.

There are 12 touches between the center back and the goal, and six of them belong to Jeremy Doku.

The new signing absolutely roasts Vladimir Coufal and curls a gorgeous shot past Alphonse Areola and inside the far post.

A wonderful Man City passing sequence and great individual play from Doku to open his account for the champions.

1-1.

Well, well, well...

A pair of Erling Haaland close-range misses are looming large at West Ham, where the Irons will be buzzing after (again) defying xG, possession, and common sense with dedicated 18-clogging defense.

Ward-Prowse’s excellent diving header is the difference for West Ham, who have 36% of the ball and five saves from goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

Man City are out-attempting West Ham 17-3 with a 1.70-0.75 xG advantage at the break, but David Moyes scoffs at numbers. They are just funny-looking letters to him.

Well, how about that?!?

Jarrod Bowen spots Vladimir Coufal’s run down the right and there’s a lot of work to do as the back cuts inside.

Coufal has it on his right peg and sweeps a cross toward James Ward-Prowse, and the midfielder uses a classy diving header to beat Ederson.

It’s 1-0, and it’s well-deserved.

Off a corner kick, no surprise.

Jarrod Bowen sweeps in a left-footed effort that is tight to the end line, and Tomas Soucek gets on it but the incredibly-acute angle just redirects it into more danger.

Nayef Aguerd, wearing a black armband for earthquakes victims back home in Morocco (and Libya), has a near impossible task in spotting the redirection through a sea of bodies and can only get it with his shoulder.

Chance gone. How many more will come?

Three times it was Alphonse Areola, and two more from defenders, as Man City attacks with vigor off a corner kick.

It’s been all City, but the white- (and claret!) shirted hosts just were only denied an opener by a heroic run from the more-claret 30-year-old goalkeeper.

Mateo Kovacic is unable to go but Jeremy Doku is already starting games for the champs. Nathan Ake is on the bench, as is Matheus Nunes.

No Mohammed Kudus in the Starting XI but fellow new boys Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse will test Pep Guardiola’s conception of the Irons.

Maybe the players come back tired?

That’s the only thing standing in the way of Man City and 5-0 on the young season, as Red Star Belgrade will come to the Etihad to start the UEFA Champions League group stage on Tuesday and there’s little reason to think they’ll present a big threat. Red Star’s even away against a good domestic rival two hours after City kicks off this weekend.

Kevin De Bruyne remains out and Mateo Kovacic is likely to miss out as well after undergoing scans on a lower back ailment earlier this week. John Stones and Jack Grealish are also out.

Pep Guardiola’s returned from a surgery-inspired absence. The ‘away’ part of this fixture is the most threatening part. Oh, and watch Jarrod Bowen on the break.

West Ham has held 36.2% of the ball in Premier League games this season, comfortably among the worst in the division. Small sample size considered, it’ll still take a game or two at 60% to produce a more palatable season number.

The good news is that the Irons are comfortable without the ball, and Jarrod Bowen is producing a gaudy 3.25 shots per 90 given such short terms with that ol’ round thing required to produce a goal.

More good news? The Irons are healthy, just waiting on an all-clear on banged-up Vladimir Coufal.