Erling Haaland struck twice and created another as Manchester City swept aside West Ham United 3-0 to move to the top of the Premier League and deepen the London club's growing relegation fears. The Norwegian forward scored inside five minutes, set up Tijjani Reijnders to hammer in a second before the break and then rifled home again in the second half, delivering City's fifth successive league victory and a third straight clean sheet.
The result lifted City one point clear of Arsenal, who can reclaim first place if they win at Everton later on Saturday, but it was the manner of the performance that reinforced Pep Guardiola's side as ominous title contenders. West Ham, by contrast, slipped to their tenth league defeat of a dismal season and will spend Christmas in the bottom three for the fifth time, three points adrift of safety and now without a win in six Premier League matches.
This was the latest chapter in a remarkably one-sided recent history between the clubs. West Ham have not beaten City since a 2-1 away success in September 2015 and have now lost seven meetings in a row, conceding at least three goals in each of the last six. Here they were overwhelmed by City's passing in a first half that left the visitors playing chase-ball, rallied briefly after the interval, but were ultimately undone again by Haaland's ruthlessness and City's ability to manage the game.
Early Onslaught Leaves West Ham Chasing Shadows