"Erling Haaland scored twice and Tijjani Reijnders once as West Ham were swatted aside, losing to City for the seventh time in a row after conceding at least three goals in the past six meetings. After the break City's control slipped, yet the bottom line is they are, once more, ruthless, so who would bet against the Gunners being thwarted again?"
"Nico Gonzalez is a smooth replacement for Rodri, Phil Foden sparkles most games, Rayan Cherki is a box of tricks and Haaland is a killer in front of goal. Six straight wins in all competitions faced off against zero in five in the league. Factor in West Ham's previous victory over the hosts being in September 2015 (a 2-1 away win) and Nuno Espirito Santo's iteration were seeking to bridge a 21-game gap to their club's last triumph over City."
"Erling Haaland scores Manchester City's first goal past a despairing dive from Alphonse Areola. This is how Haaland opened festivities. Constant possession from kick-off wore down those in claret. Then Foden swapped passes with Gonzalez on the left and rolled the ball to the striker, who unloaded. Alphonse Areola beat the ball inadvertently back to him and a thunderous right boot made no mistake."
Manchester City can be top on Christmas Day if Arsenal fail to win at Everton. City displayed a forbidding relentlessness, with Erling Haaland scoring twice and Tijjani Reijnders adding a goal in a dominant win over West Ham. City have beaten West Ham seven times in a row and conceded at least three goals in six of the recent meetings. Key contributors include Nico Gonzalez, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki, supporting Haaland's scoring threat. City controlled the game through sustained possession, though control slipped after the break, leaving an impression of ruthless efficiency.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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