Manchester City continued their brilliant form in the new campaign under Pep Guardiola as they defeated West Ham to get maximum points over the weekend.
The win ensures the have nine points, as with Manchester United and Chelsea. The victory sets up an interesting encounter with United in the Manchester derby after the international break.
From the start of game against West Ham, Man City showed their superiority, with nice one touch passes, and good ball control. Within the first twenty minutes, the top level of play yielded two goals, almost sealing the game off. An improved showing from Raheem sterling was a sight to behold, compared to his games last season and at the Euro 2016. He got a goal, and Fernandinho added the second for the Sky Blues.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic was confused at the dominance of City, but was helpless. The difference in the games of City since the appointment of Guardiola is obvious. He supervised the tiki-taka style of play in Barcelona, with veteran midfielder Xavi, Iniesta taking the play to another level. Expectations were high with the employment of Guardiola, and so far, the Spaniard has shown his quality.
After the break, Bilic’s men returned with more firepower, and pulled back one goal through Michail Antonio. The resurgence feared City, so they tried breaking away through a counter. It worked only in stoppage time, David Silva hit the goal post but Sterling was there to get the rebound. John Stones proved why he is likely to start for England in the World Cup qualifiers ahead of Chris Smalling who is benched at Old Trafford. However, the Englishman picked up an eye injury and might be a worry for Allardyce. Silva was the man of the match with his delightful performance.