Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a commanding 3-1 victory over West Ham United at the London Olympic Stadium on Saturday. The triumph was orchestrated by the phenomenal Erling Haaland, who netted his second consecutive hat-trick in the league.Haaland opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a left-footed shot into the top right corner after a pass from Bernardo Silva. West Ham briefly equalized through a Ruben Dias own goal in the 19th minute, but Haaland restored City’s lead in the 30th minute with a powerful header. The Norwegian striker completed his hat-trick in the 83rd minute, coolly finishing a through ball from Matheus Nunes.This performance brings Haaland’s tally to an impressive seven goals in just three Premier League matches this season, setting a new record for the most goals scored in the first three games of a season. City manager Pep Guardiola praised Haaland’s performance, saying, ‘From the beginning he was unbelievable. The second goal, even the first. The third goal is something unique. With this mindset he has, everything he can do’.The victory propels Manchester City to the top of the Premier League table with a maximum of nine points from their first three games. They are now two points clear of Arsenal and Brighton, who drew 1-1 earlier in the day. West Ham, meanwhile, find themselves in 14th place with three points.City’s dominance in this fixture continues, as they have now won 15 of their past 17 Premier League matches against West Ham. The champions’ strong start to the season puts pressure on their title rivals, with Liverpool having a chance to keep pace if they can secure a win against Manchester United on Sunday.
Key points
- Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick, leading Manchester City to a 3-1 victory over West Ham.
- Manchester City now tops the Premier League table with 9 points from 3 games.
- Haaland has set a new record with 7 goals in the first 3 games of the Premier League season.
- The win puts pressure on title rivals Arsenal, Brighton, and Liverpool.
Contradictions👾There is a slight discrepancy in the reported timing of Haaland’s third goal, with some sources stating it was in the 82nd or 83rd minute, while others report it as the 84th minute.
