Irons get the full Man City treatment after audaciously taking the lead - talking points from WHU
Ahead at the interval the Hammers may have been, but Man City soon reasserted their remorseless authority after the break to run out 3-1 winners, to nobody's surprise. We take a look at some of the talking points.
They may have lost, but West Ham look a much tougher nut to crack than this time last season
No team can be judged too harshly on performances against the irrepressible machine that is Man City. If anything, there is much credit to be given to the Irons for the way they stuck at it.
The Hammers had only 36 per cent possession during the first half and had only three efforts on goal compared to 17 by the European Champions. By the end it was 31 per cent of the ball and a shot count of 29-6 in City's favour.
But this is a team that has developed a fine collective approach in the most demanding games. We saw something similar against Chelsea a few weeks ago, when the Irons upset the moneybags visitors 3-1 despite having their backs to the wall for large parts of the game.
The pity for them was that they allowed City back into it within 45 seconds of the restart when Jeremy Doku dashed in from the left and flashed a shot across Alphonse Areola into the far corner. But they still managed to absorb long spells of pressure remarkably well and kept believing, even after Bernardo Silva's clever finish had completed the City comeback.
Of course, on another day, Erling Haaland might well have put away one of the three or four excellent chances he missed before he applied the coup de grace in the final minutes. There is no denying they were outplayed and well beaten but they stayed in it.
West Ham will have learnt more about the balancing act required by the demands of European football
The league form suffered badly last season because of involvement in a lengthy campaign that took them all the way to the Europa Conference final, it could be argued.
Fatigue - mental as much as physical with all the travelling involved - left them perilously close to the danger zone when the season entered its final lap. Fortunately, David Moyes' side pulled themselves together just in time and disaster was averted.
They have been determined to get the season off to a good start and three wins from the opening, undefeated four games, suggests they will do everything to ensure they do not allow domestic form to suffer this time around.
James Ward-Prowse signing is proving to be the no-brainer we all thought it would be
The England midfielder's dynamism, set-piece excellence and midfield leadership have become the team's heartbeat in a way that mirrors the impact of James Maddison at Spurs.
It was no surprise that he popped up in the 36th minute to send a stooping header past Ederson after brilliant work down the right flank by Jarrod Bowen and the overlapping Vladimir Coufal. Ward-Prowse embodies the spirit of togetherness within the ranks.
The midfield was often overwhelmed and feeding off the scraps on those rare occasions City coughed up possession. Tomas Soucek is still struggling to find his best form and was withdrawn early.
Lucas Paqueta had only a few moments when he could show off his skills and was booked late on for a foul as he chased shadows. Pep Guardiola's men simply strangle to life out of opponents by hogging the ball.
The Hammers will not be alone this season in feeling the cold dead hand of City on their shoulders, but they kept at it gamely.
