The result of the West Ham United vs Manchester City match, highlights, and analysis with the launch of the Erling Haaland duo to defend Pep Guardiola's title
Newcomer Erling Haaland scored twice on his Manchester City debut to launch his side's Premier League title defense with a 2-0 win over West Ham United.
Haaland was uneven on his first outing for City in last weekend's Community Shield defeat to Liverpool, but he earned the money at the London Stadium today.
The Norwegian Star picked up Ilkay Gundogan's clever pass and was brought down by Alphonse Areola before the West Ham substitute goalkeeper was sent the wrong way from the penalty spot.
As David Moyes's team make their way back into the competition, Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland combined devastatingly after 65 minutes to seal the points in their favor.
West Ham vs Manchester City live stream
It was the start for West Ham, with Michail Antonio shooting a cross from Pablo Fornals in the fourth minute, but things soon settled down to the expected match pattern as City took 79 percent of the possession of the first half.
De Bruyne shot away from 20 yards after Joao Cancelo's shot from the left-back, the Belgian midfielder shot the ball into the net in the 27th minute of the meeting, only for Gundogan to move away from the offside points during the preparation.
Picking the ball out of the net was the last thing Lukasz Fabianski did after failing to shake off an injury from a previous clash with Haaland and the city's new No. 9 was about to cause Moyes's men even more pain.
Gundogan made a skillful turn and a calculated pass for the match, as Haaland set off to be dropped by Areola while trying to get around him. Riyad Mahrez missed a decisive penalty on the floor in May but the 22-year-old did not make such a mistake, confidently dashing into the lower left corner.
The city's level dropped amid extremely hot temperatures around the hour and substitute Saeed Bin Al-Rahma scored West Ham's first shot on goal in the 63rd minute. Two minutes later, the game was over.
Rodri worked on the possession of De Bruyne in a key position and did not need a second invitation to join his new partner in crime. Haaland opened his body to send a great touch beyond Areola; it seems that there will be more to come.
De Bruyne and Haaland give a glimpse of the fatal link with Man City
For an hour at the London Stadium, it was not like that for De Bruyne. Manchester City's creative fulcrum can be in the afternoons: he is arguably the best midfielder in Europe, but when he is out, he is really out. There was a feeling that he was trying to impose things a little against a well-equipped West Ham defense. Perhaps all the talk about how strong he is with Haaland played a role in this.
If there is a lesson De Bruyne can draw from the match-fixing goal, it is that there is no need to impose it. Haaland's move is so cruel that there will be a chance to hold on to a chance on a plate for him soon enough. When the moment came, there was little danger of De Bruyne disturbing his lines. His three main assists were the most of any City player, while Haaland scored from his shot on goal.
"What he gives us are his qualities," Guardiola said of Haaland when he spoke to Sky Sports afterward, before making some remarks that could be read as a gentle encouragement to his longest-serving star De Bruyne. "The way we will play will not change much. We'll adjust. We have a threat there. He's an amazing deep runner and a good computer. I would say that he adapts perfectly to the way we play. I want him to play. "As the games go on, we will find him more and more and allow him to score goals ".
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