Manuel Pellegrini’s side were unable to lay a glove on the champions, who combined brawn and brain to emphatic effectAfter 35 minutes
Manchester City let West Ham have a shot. It was their first of the new season and, to be brutally honest, it was a bit of a non-event. In fact the only reason for mentioning the moment when Sébastien Haller briefly stirred Ederson with a tame overhead kick is that West Ham would not be allowed another sight of goal until deep into the second half, by which point City were cruising towards yet another romp at the
London Stadium.
Unfortunately this has become the norm when mid-table hopefuls come up against opponents as classy and streetwise as the reigning champions. Did West Ham play well in that curiously low-key first half? They did have their flashes. Their high press forced a couple of sloppy errors from City. Haller, Manuel Pellegrini’s new £45m striker, had some cute touches and brought teammates into play. Felipe Anderson left Oleksandr Zinchenko on his backside at one point. Manuel Lanzini appealed for a penalty after tumbling in City’s area. There were moments.