Manchester City delivered a ruthless reminder of their title credentials with a straightforward 3-0 victory over West Ham, compounding a miserable campaign for Nuno Espirito Santo’s struggling side. The defeat ensures the Hammers will spend Christmas inside the relegation zone, an unwanted milestone in a season that continues to unravel.
City were in control from the outset and made that dominance count when Erling Haaland finished confidently from Phil Foden’s delivery to give the hosts an early advantage. The champions moved further ahead before the break as Tijjani Reijnders capped a slick move, leaving West Ham chasing shadows and City briefly leapfrogging Arsenal at the summit, pending the Gunners’ later fixture.
West Ham did threaten to make a contest of it after the interval, carving out several openings that might have changed the mood inside the Etihad. Those chances, however, went begging, and City made them pay. Haaland struck again to seal the points, registering his 19th goal of the campaign and underlining his remarkable efficiency in front of goal.
Despite seeing little of the ball, the Norwegian forward once more shaped the outcome decisively. He operated almost exclusively in dangerous areas, turning minimal involvement into maximum impact, and could even afford to pass up a late opportunity for a hat-trick on an otherwise comfortable afternoon.
For West Ham, there were fleeting signs of improvement after the break, but a lack of cutting edge meant any hope of a response quickly faded. A late save from Gianluigi Donnarumma, denying Crysencio Summerville with an unorthodox block, summed up a day where small moments still refused to fall their way.
City’s victory keeps them firmly in the title hunt, while West Ham’s problems deepen. Ten league defeats before Christmas leave Espirito Santo facing a daunting task to revive belief and momentum in the weeks ahead, with the gap to safety already beginning to feel significant.
