Manchester City strengthened their Premier League title push with a commanding 3–0 victory over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium on December 20, 2025, with Erling Haaland delivering a decisive performance that included two goals and an assist.
City asserted control from the opening minutes and took the lead in the fifth minute. Haaland reacted quickest to a rebound after his initial effort was saved by Alphonse Areola, converting from close range following a Phil Foden cross. The early goal set the tone for a dominant first-half display in which West Ham struggled to mount any attacking threat.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 38th minute when Tijjani Reijnders finished emphatically after a driving run from Rayan Cherki, with Haaland providing the assist. City went into halftime firmly in control, having restricted West Ham to no shots in the first half and enjoying close to 70 percent possession.
West Ham showed more intent after the break, but City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma preserved the clean sheet with a series of fine saves, including a crucial double stop to deny Crysencio Summerville and Freddie Potts. Any hopes of a comeback were extinguished in the 69th minute, when Haaland side-footed home Rico Lewis’s flick-on to seal the result.
Haaland’s brace took him to 19 Premier League goals for the season, underlining his importance as City maintained second place in the table with 37 points from 17 matches. West Ham remain 18th, with 13 points, and continue to face mounting relegation pressure.
After the match, Pep Guardiola praised his side’s performance but emphasized the need for further improvement in possession play as the title race intensifies. West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo acknowledged City’s quality while pointing to his team’s improved second-half showing as something to build on.
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