Man City 4-1 West Ham: Pep Guardiola's side record back-to-back league wins for the first time since OCTOBER with a dominant showing at the Etihad
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Funnily enough, this wasn’t overly different to the previous two months at Manchester City and when Pep Guardiola speaks about needing to be lucky, he genuinely means it. Now to win a game with a three-goal margin is not inherently fortunate yet the foundations for that can be. City attacked with more guile and invention but still defended with frightful disregard for their duties.
![[Erling Haaland netted on either side of the interval as the hosts opened 2025 with a victory]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/04/16/93737217-14249885-image-a-30_1736006912604.jpg)
And so that is where the luck is and Guardiola doesn’t mind it. He doesn’t mind that similar occurred at Leicester City either. He doesn’t mind because, at this stage, any positive result can come in whichever form it presents itself. It will have to change soon but for now, victories chip away at their confidence problems. Even if that is all a bit superficial.
![[Result sees Pep Guardiola's team pick up successive league victories for the first time since October]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/04/16/93738131-14249885-image-a-52_1736009486361.jpg)
What did alter came in possession and the attacking third, where Erling Haaland moved to 21 goals in all competitions with a brace and Savinho put in his finest display in blue. More positives than in previous weeks for sure. Consecutive wins help the psyche and while West Ham – on the back of their shellacking by Liverpool – can have no complaints at how they gave up two quick second-half goals, and thus surrendering the points – there was a spell where this felt eerily familiar for Guardiola. West Ham actually recorded almost double the number of shots on goal in the end.
![[West Ham had their moments but City raced into an early lead via an own-goal from Vladimir Coufal]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/04/16/93737193-14249885-image-a-31_1736008071814.jpg)
Julen Lopetegui’s body language told everything about where West Ham are right now and where this match had veered towards. City had been carved open three times in the opening nine minutes – Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek squandering their moments – and then fortuitously led in the tenth.
![[Haaland's double ensured the champions remained in control despite some resistance]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/04/16/93737195-14249885-image-a-32_1736008079946.jpg)
