West Ham 1 Man City 3: Erling Haaland bags yet another ruthless hat-trick as champions capitalise on Arsenal slip-up
ERLING HAALAND took his tally to SEVEN Premier League goals in THREE games this season as his second successive hat-trick earned Manchester City a 3-1 win over West Ham.
The champions needed just 10 minutes to go in front as Lucas Paqueta was robbed of the ball and Bernardo Silva slid Haaland in before the Norwegian confidently stroked home.
The Hammers did equalise shortly after when Ruben Dias turned a Jarrod Bowen cross into his own net.
But order was restored on the half hour mark when Haaland lashed a venomous effort into the top corner from a Rico Lewis lay-off.
And he made it back-to-back hat-tricks following his treble against Ipswich when he beat the offside trap and tucked home with seven minutes remaining.
Haaland now has 70 Premier League goals in 69 games and 95 in 101 in all competitions for Man City.
The devastating Norwegian opened the scoring when Silva dispossessed former City target Paqueta and allowed Haaland to do the rest.
City immediately threatened to blow the hosts away with Alphonse Areola making a fine save to tip Kevin De Bruyne‘s shot over the top.
De Bruyne’s side-footed effort then came back off the far post with Jack Grealish, making his first start of the season, hitting the rebound wide.
But West Ham came back into the contest and levelled in the 19th minute when Paqueta fed Bowen, who scampered down the right before putting in a low cross which Dias sliced into his own net.
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However, they were on level terms for only 10 minutes before City worked the ball along the edge of the penalty area and Lewis fed Haaland, who took a touch before lashing his shot into the roof of the net.
Haaland almost had a hat-trick before half-time when he was felled on the edge of the area by Edson Alvarez, but his free-kick grazed the top of the net.
West Ham nearly equalised with a stunning counter-attack after the break when Paqueta spun his way out of trouble inside his own penalty area.
The Brazilian coolly passed out to Mohammed Kudus, who played a one-two with Bowen before crashing his shot against the near post.
But West Ham saw their hopes of picking up a rare point against City ended when Haaland raced on to a through ball from Matheus Nunes and tucked away the third.