Premier League, Matchday 13 – Manchester City win against West Ham (2-1) with goals from Gundogan and Fernandinho

Three days after wringing out the PSG, the Manchester City steamroller defeated West Ham (2-1). The 4th in the Premier League was expected, and it hardly existed at the Etihad Stadium against the players of Pep Guardiola, who made the difference thanks to Ilkay Gündogan and Fernandinho. This success, the 5th in a row in all competitions for the Sky Blues, allows City to temporarily return to Chelsea at the top of the championship.

One would have thought that the big duel delivered against Messi and company in the middle of the week could weaken the Manchester City players in one of the big shocks of this 13th day, it was not. With only two changes made in his eleven compared to Wednesday, Pep Guardiola, still deprived of De Bruyne, Grealish and Foden trusted his players in the form of the moment to extend the good Mancunian dynamic. And as often, the Spanish tactician was not mistaken.

Ederson was technically unemployed for a long time

Under a snow which gradually complicated the playing conditions during the first act, his troops took control of the game very early on. David Moyes and his team first succeeded, with their weapons, to shake up the defending champion (13th, 23rd). But it was the locals who got the best opportunities in the first act (7th, 17th, 28th), Aymeric Laporte notably touching the post on a corner (16th), before Gündogan took advantage of a deflected shot from Mahrez to take the ball victoriously within six meters (1-0, 33rd).

They also entered in the European Cup this week, the Hammers seemed to lack juice, unable to respond to the collective organization and the Mancunian efforts. If the snow disappeared in the second half, the Londoners never found the keys to bounce back, weaned from the balls in a second act where City has long managed, obtaining several opportunities to double the bet (56th, 73rd, 80th).

Pep Guardiola waited a long time to make his only change of the game, but it paid off. Only a few minutes after bringing in Fernandinho (87th), he saw the Brazilian midfielder score his first goal since October 2018 in the league to fold the case (2-0, 90th). Manuel Lanzini may have shot a superb half-volley at the last second, the damage was done (2-1, 90th + 4). This victory, the 11th for the Cityzens in their last 13 clashes against the Irons, allows the Mancuniens to continue their duel at the top but at a distance with Chelsea.