Manchester City march towards the title with 3-0 win over West Ham

Manchester City have regained the lead following a hammering of the Hammers.

Manchester City responded to Arsenal’s win over Chelsea by thumping West Ham 3-0 on the 3rd of May on what was technically ‘matchday 28’. With the win, City reclaimed their lead at the top of the Premier League by a single point, although they still have one game in hand compared to their rivals.

The game was crucial for both teams but for completely different reasons. City needed a win to keep the pressure on Arsenal, who were the league leaders prior to City’s win. West Ham on the other hand have been involved in an unexpected relegation battle throughout the season.

The 3-0 loss does little to help the Hammers but does allow City to have some breathing room and pile on the pressure on the less experienced Arsenal side, who we have seen struggle in the last month as this dramatic season comes to a close.

Manchester City run riot in the second half

The first half was a good indication that City were not going to underestimate their opponents. A chance fell to Riyad Mahrez in the 8th minute to almost open the scoring, although it was well saved by Łukasz Fabiański. Jack Grealish seemed the most likely to score or create a goal and seemed to have put City ahead with a vicious shot that unfortunately struck the post and went out.

No chance was bigger than Rodri’s in the 31st. Playing a quick one-two with Erling Haaland, Rodri was one-on-one with the keeper and seemed to have snuck in the finish. It unfortunately hit the inside of the post and travelled all the way across to the other post, inches away from the goal.

Despite heading in to half-time at 0-0, it seemed it was only a matter of time before City would score. That’s exactly what happened as Nathan Ake, in his first game back from injury, scored his first Premier League goal in over a year to open the scoring with a header from a Mahrez free kick in the 48th minute.

Haaland would get his goal scoring record with a delightful chip at the 70th to make it 2-0 and give City some breathing room. A Phil Foden rocket from outside the box would make it 3-0 with five minutes left to play as the City academy product hit double figures for goals in the league for the first time in his career.

It seems that City are inevitable at this point but they will have to remain focused during this last stretch if they wish to be treble winners. Up next is Leeds United on Saturday followed by the huge Champions League semi final against last year’s champions Real Madrid on Tuesday as City march towards a historic finish.