Haaland's Brace And Savinho's Spark Lead Guardiola's Side To Consecutive Victory

Man City 4-1 West Ham: Haaland’s Brace and Savinho’s Spark Lead Guardiola’s Side to Consecutive Victory

Man City secured a dominant 4-1 victory over West Ham at the Etihad Stadium. The scoring began with an own goal from Vladimir Coufal, followed by a brace from Erling Haaland and a fourth goal from Phil Foden. Despite Niclas Fullkrug pulling one back for West Ham, it wasn’t enough to halt City’s commanding performance.

Vladimir Coufal’s own goal put Manchester City ahead, with Erling Haaland adding two more goals either side of halftime, all created by the lively Savinho. Phil Foden completed the scoring as Pep Guardiola’s side followed up their win over Leicester with another dominant victory, securing back-to-back wins.

West Ham’s Niclas Fullkrug did manage to pull one back, but even then, the scoreline flattered City. Despite their commanding performance, the result puts added pressure on West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui. His side suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to Liverpool in their final match of 2024 and conceded another four goals in this match, continuing their struggles.

City’s first-half performance was far from convincing, with West Ham creating the better chances. Despite Mohammed Kudus being wasteful in front of goal, Savinho was outstanding in the final third, making the difference for City.

It was his brilliant left-wing cross that deflected off Vladimir Coufal and past goalkeeper Alphonse Areola for the opening goal. Savinho then turned the Czech full-back inside out for City’s second, delivering a perfect cross that evaded Areola, allowing Haaland to head home and double the lead.

In the second half, Savinho once again proved to be the architect, threading a perfect pass behind the West Ham defense for Haaland to score his second of the game. The striker lofted the ball over goalkeeper Areola, bringing his tally to nine goals against West Ham, making them his favourite Premier League opponents.

At that point, Julen Lopetegui’s main priority would have been to prevent another capitulation like the one against Liverpool, but West Ham’s defensive woes continued. The visitors gave the ball away in the build-up to City’s next goal, allowing Kevin De Bruyne to pick out Phil Foden, who calmly slotted it home to make it 4-0 inside the first hour.

Despite the dominant scoreline, City still have issues to address, as evidenced by Fullkrug’s goal. Manuel Akanji was fortunate that the referee ruled Crysencio Summerville had unfairly dispossessed him, denying the winger a clear opportunity to break through with only one goal separating the teams.

Pep Guardiola is still searching for the right formula, as reflected in his decision to name an unchanged side for the first time since August, hoping this stability will help find that elusive balance. Back-to-back victories offer some momentum, but City remain in sixth place in the Premier League, still some way off their usual high standards. West Ham, on the other hand, remain 13th for now, looking to regroup after another tough defeat.

Here is the data represented in a well-organized table:

Pos.	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	PTS	Form
1	Liverpool	18	14	3	1	28	45	W D D W W W
2	Arsenal	20	11	7	2	21	40	D D W W W D
3	Nottm Forest	19	11	4	4	7	37	L W W W W W
4	Chelsea	20	10	6	4	15	36	W W D L L D
5	Newcastle	20	10	5	5	12	35	L W W W W W
6	Man City	20	10	4	6	9	34	D L L D W W
7	Bournemouth	20	9	6	5	7	33	W D W D D W
8	Aston Villa	20	9	5	6	-2	32	W L W L D W
9	Fulham	19	7	8	4	3	29	W D D D W D
10	Brighton	20	6	10	4	1	28	D L D D D D
11	Brentford	20	8	3	9	3	27	W L L D L W
12	Tottenham	20	7	3	10	12	24	L W L L D L
13	West Ham	20	6	5	9	-15	23	W D D W L L
14	Man Utd	19	6	4	9	-5	22	L L W L L L
15	Crystal Palace	20	4	9	7	-7	21	D W L D W D
16	Everton	19	3	8	8	-10	17	W D D D L L
17	Wolves	19	4	4	11	-11	16	L L L W W D
18	Ipswich	19	3	6	10	-15	15	L L W L L W
19	Leicester	20	3	5	12	-21	14	D L L L L L
20	Southampton	20	1	3	16	-32	6	L L D L L L

Savinho’s playing time by position for Manchester City in the Premier League this season.

Savinho was the spark his confidence-stricken team needed during a tough start, creating all sorts of problems for Coufal and contributing to the first two goals. His assist for the third goal further demonstrated his ability to pick out passes, not just crosses.

Although Guardiola faces ongoing challenges and the need to rebuild his team, Savinho, just 20, cannot be blamed for the team’s disappointing form this season. He looks like a clear candidate to be part of City’s next great side.

Guardiola was full of praise for Savinho’s performance, pointing out a key difference between the young winger and many of his more seasoned teammates. “I think he is clean in his mind. He doesn’t think, you know? There is nothing in his head from the past,” Guardiola explained.

“Normally, when you are many years here, the players think that they deserve something special for what they have done and that is a big mistake. A big mistake. You have to prove it again and again and again and again.

“And of course, having a left footer in the left side, like an old-fashioned, old vintage football. Right on the right, left on the left. Of course, these kinds of crosses help a striker like we have. I am so happy for him. He deserves to play.”

Katarzyna Nowak

Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for 24kbet, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.