Manchester City 2-1 West Ham United: Pep Guardiola’s team seals the 20th consecutive victory to extend the lead

Manchester City continued their charge for the Premier League title, as they achieved a 20th consecutive victory in all competitions with a 2-1 victory over high-flying West Ham at the Etihad Stadium.

The hosts got off to a slow start but were ahead in the 30th minute when Ruben Dias nodded on his first Citizens goal with a sublime right-wing cross from Kevin de Bruyne.

West Ham’s game plan to frustrate the league leaders changed in the latter part of the half and they got their payoff before the break when Michail Antonio touched Jesse Lingard’s shot. It was the first goal that City conceded at home since December 15.

Pep Guardiola had given his first Premier League start since October to record scorer Sergio Agüero, but struggled to make an impact before being substituted shortly after the hour.

Instead, another center was left for City to get back on the road to victory when John Stones calmly guided a first shot into the corner furthest from Riyad Mahrez’s pass with 22 minutes remaining.

The result sees Pep Guardiola’s men move 13 points ahead at the top and the closest rivals Manchester United and Leicester City will face tough matches on Sunday. West Ham is still fourth.

City then host the Wolves on Tuesday before a Manchester derby at home to United on Sunday. West Ham will not be in action until Monday, March 8, when they host Leeds United.

The monster in the city shoots up. A third league title in four seasons seems close to the bag after a close success against the Hammers in form. Guardiola made seven changes from the team that won the Champions League in the middle of the week and while this was far from the best in City, they still had enough on their locker to score the points once more.

Much has been made of City’s strong defense this term, with Dias and Stones receiving well-deserved praise for helping lay the groundwork for this sensational run. This time around, they sent in a rare goal but made up for it in style with one goal each. The dynamic duo have scored five and conceded just three goals in the 16 matches they have started together, which is a truly magnificent record. Indeed, the overall strength of City is such that the talk of a “quadruple” will gain momentum again in the coming weeks.

As for West Ham, they will be disappointed to leave empty-handed after an exhibition that had many positives to bolster their claim as realistic challengers for a place in the Champions League.

John Stones (Man City). The defender’s resurgence continues with another successful display. He looks cool and steady at home alongside Dias, who was also a strong contender for this award. Stones scored the winner and now has four goals in all competitions this season, all of them in 2021.

CITY MAN: Ederson 6, Walker 7, Days 8, Piedras 8, Zinchenko 7, Gundogan 7, Fernandinho 8, Mahrez 7, De Bruyne 8, Torres 6, Agüero 6. Subs: Jesús 6, Foden 6, Rodri n / a.

WESTERN HAM: Randolph 6, Johnson 6, Coufal 7, Dawson 7, Diop 7, Cresswell 7, Soucek 7, Rice 7, Lingard 7, Fornals 6, Antonio 7. Subs: Benrahma n / a, Bowen n / a.

Matchcast: full match stats and commentary

30 ‘- GOAL! – Man City 1-0 West Ham. Dias is free to run for the far post and head a De Bruyne right cross into the net. That was a sensational delivery from the Belgian.

39 ‘- WESTERN HAM OPPORTUNITY! Antonio picks up a dangerous cross on the right, but sees his shot ricochet off the outside of the post.

43 ‘- GOAL! – Manchester City 1-1 West Ham. The Hammers are level. Coufal prowls the right side of the area and cuts it for Lingard. The forward’s shot flies towards the far post where Antonio throws himself to deflect it home.

58 ‘- MAN CITY OPPORTUNITY! KDB loads from the left. Jump past a challenge and race towards the author’s line. He puts it in the six-yard box, but no City jersey can get there to deliver a shot.

68 ‘- GOAL! – Manchester City 2-1 West Ham. Stones takes a good shot for the first time in the far corner after a smart run and a touch from Mahrez.

90 + 4 ‘- WESTERN HAM OPPORTUNITY! Diop encounters a delicious Lingard cross from the right, but fails to direct his header on target.