After Pep Guardiola’s latest mea culpa – “I blame me, not the players,” he said on Friday – Manchester City returned a heady second consecutive win for the first time since late October, and a third successive outing without defeat.
Under the manager’s own logic he takes credit for a victory decorated by Savinho’s performance including two assists, and crowned by Erling Haaland’s second of the afternoon. The Brazilian received the ball in midfield and fed the Norwegian, whose slaloming run was as elegant as the chip over an onrushing Alphonse Areola.
That was 3-0 on 55 minutes and the fourth goal soon arrived. A defensive horror show near the visitors’ goal allowed Kevin De Bruyne to take over, he squared to Phil Foden and, at close range, Areola was beaten again, causing delight and relief for the champions, who had holes punched in them each time Julen Lopetegui’s unit attacked.
After Foden’s strike, mirthful home fans taunted the Spaniard with the standard that has come Guardiola’s way recently: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” Harsh, maybe, given the Hammers’ profligacy, but, after losing 5-0 at home to Liverpool, this is how football works.
Guardiola will be delighted at winning and less joyful regarding how the headline reason for City’s recent slump – being simple to play through – remains. When balls were contested in the middle third, a white shirt often claimed the 50-50, and Crysencio Summerville or Mohammed Kudus raced along their wings to splay the champions. Kudus did this twice in first-half bursts down the right, but he and Tomas Soucek missed the chances.
Guardiola had spoken of the luck in Sunday’s 2-0 win at Leicester and City enjoyed fortune here too, in the shape of Vladimir Coufal’s own-goal opener. Savinho ran through a left channel and crossed, the ball came back to him, and his second go smacked off the right-back, defeating Areola.
Savinho was a whirl of action, closing down Areola, earning applause from Guardiola, tormenting Coufal continually, or materialising on the right, as he did at a corner alongside De Bruyne and Foden, to cause an overload.
Guardiola configured his men in a 4-1-4-1, making solving how sieve-like they were simple: pull Bernardo Silva or De Bruyne back from their central berths to operate alongside Mateo Kovacic to stop him and the rearguard being overrun.
Errant ball custodianship was evident, too. A miscommunication involving De Bruyne and Haaland ceded possession to Lucas Paquetá, who shot marginally wide, while at times City were comically wide open, as Niclas Füllkrug’s 71st-minute consolation illustrated.
Paquetá spread play left, Soucek crossed and the centre-forward swept in. The goal left Guardiola raging – possibly at Kyle Walker, on as a substitute – and there was further concern when Stefan Ortega needed treatment. But as Scott Carson, 39, contemplated a very rare outing, the German goalkeeper recovered.
It was a tale of missed chances earlier, particularly before the break. A Haaland toe-poke rolled the ball to Silva, who drove at Areola’s legs; then the Portuguese and Rico Lewis combined to send the No 9 thundering in but he was thwarted by the rearguard. After a Lewis blaze had Areola flying right to repel, a chance was converted at last.
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This was supreme attacking play by City: Foden floated the ball left to Savinho, who skated past his marker and swept over a cross that had Haaland leaping and heading for his first goal. It made it two in two outings for him and the question now was whether City would kill off the east London club or allow them back in to the game.
Initially the answer was yes to the second part, as a Coufal tester warmed Ortega’s fingertips, before City took over. Still, Summerville’s ghosting in towards the end – he slipped and shot over – showed up, yet again, how powder-puff Guardiola’s side are when defending.
Salford City are up next, on Saturday in the FA Cup, meaning a third successive win is surely theirs.
Source: theguardian.com
