LONDON:Manchester City made a flying start to their Premier League title defence asRaheem Sterling's hat-trick inspired a 5-0 demolition of West Ham yesterday.Pep Guardiola's side are bidding to become just the second club in the PremierLeague era to win three successive titles. And after Liverpool laid down anearly marker with a 4-1 win against Norwich in the season's opening game onFriday, the champions responded with a swaggering display of their own at the LondonStadium.
Brazil forwardGabriel Jesus opened the scoring to repay Guardiola's faith after the Citymanager picked him instead of the club's record goalscorer Sergio Aguero. ThenSterling took over, replicating his dynamic form of last season with a twoclassy finishes. Substitute Aguero bagged City's fourth with a penalty afterhis first effort from the spot was saved, only for VAR to call for a retakeafter Lukasz Fabianski came off his line too soon. Sterling wrapped up histreble in the final moments as City showed they have no intention of concedingany early ground to European champions Liverpool, who finished just one pointbehind them last term.
Guardiola hadadmitted before kick-off that City might have to do even better than lastseason to fend off Liverpool. This was the perfect start as City made it ninesuccessive opening-day wins. City had won all four of their previous visits tothe London Stadium by an aggregate score of 17-1, netting at least four goalsin each match, and once again they ran riot at West Ham's expense.
Guardiola handeda first Premier League start to club-record signing Rodri and the Spainmidfielder showed signs of nerves when he allowed Manuel Lanzini to rob him inhis own penalty area. But it was a rare stumble from City's impressive new boyand the champions were soon into their stride.
Riyad Mahrez,surprisingly selected ahead of Bernardo Silva, produced City's first menacingmoment when the Algeria winger cut in from the right flank for a long-rangestrike that Fabianski pushed away. When City's opening goal came in the 25thminute, it was the kind of incisive raid that has left so many opponentshelpless over the last two years.
Mahrez slipped aperfectly-weighted pass to Kyle Walker and the right-back accelerated away fromAaron Cresswell. Walker whipped over a cross that deflected off West Hamdefender Issa Diop into the path of Jesus and he instinctively turned the ballpast Fabianski from close range.
Jesus should havedoubled City's lead but he shot straight at Fabianski on the stroke ofhalf-time. There was no need for City to rue that miss as they struck sixminutes after the interval. Kevin De Bruyne was the catalyst, the Belgianmidfielder showing what City missed during his long injury lay-offs last seasonas he left several West Ham players trailing in his wake before making aprecise pass that set up Sterling's clinical finish.
City were denieda third goal when Jesus's tap-in from Sterling's cross became the first goal tobe disallowed by VAR in the Premier League for an extremely marginal offsideagainst the England winger. A brilliant double save from Ederson denied JavierHernandez and Manuel Lanzini before Sterling put the result beyond doubt in the75th minute. Mahrez clipped a pass to Sterling and he turned to loft a delicatechip over Fabianski, with City this time able to celebrate after another VARreview for offside.
VAR is being usedin the Premier League for the first time this season and its constantinterruptions aided City in the 86th minute. Mahrez won a penalty after beingfouled by Diop, but Aguero's initial shot was saved by Fabianski before VARcalled for a retake that the Argentine stroked home. Sterling sealed City'sfive-star display in stoppage-time with a composed finish from Mahrez's pass. -AFP