On the morning of January 5th, Beijing time, the 20th round of the Premier League continued, with Manchester City, valued at a total of 1.25 billion, hosting West Ham United at home.
In the last league match, the Blue Moon won 2-0 away against Leicester City, ending a four-game winless streak in the league. This victory marked their second win in the last ten league matches and also their second win in the last fourteen matches across all competitions.
Thanks to the points accumulated earlier in the season, Manchester City can still rank sixth in the league table. However, if they were to lose this round, the defending champions could potentially drop to ninth place.
Fortunately, their opponents for this round, West Ham United, have had an average performance this season. In the previous league match, the Hammers suffered a 0-5 defeat to Liverpool and could only rank 15th in the league table.
In the last five encounters between the two teams, Manchester City has maintained a perfect record. Compared to their previous matches, the Blue Moon's defense still appears shaky, exposing vulnerabilities from the start of the game.
In the 7th minute, a series of quick passes saw West Ham United break through Manchester City's defense, with Kudus' shot from a tight angle hitting the side netting.
In the 10th minute, Manchester City launched a fierce attack. After West Ham United cleared the ball, Manchester City's second wave of offense was even more incisive, with Savigno's shot being deflected into his own goal by Cao Far.
Since scoring his debut goal for Manchester City in the previous match, Savigno has been involved in three goals in two consecutive matches, showing explosive form.
However, it seems that the entire Manchester City team is still not in top form. Apart from this accidental goal, West Ham United dominated the first half of the game.
In the 28th minute, Paqueta's diagonal shot from outside the penalty area narrowly missed the target. By the time the Hammers had completed six shots, the Blue Moon had only managed three.
After 30 minutes, Manchester City launched another threatening attack, with Haaland passing to B seat, whose shot was blocked by Arelola lying on the ground.
In the 42nd minute, Foden shifted the ball to the left flank, where Savigno made a stylish dribble before delivering a precise cross, which Haaland headed into the net.
Just like in the 2-0 victory over Leicester City in the previous match, Savigno was involved in both goals, with Haaland scoring the second goal. At halftime, Manchester City led 2-0.
In the 55th minute, Savigno once again shone brightly, receiving the ball before driving forward and delivering a wonderful pass, allowing Haaland to easily round Arelola and score into an empty net.
Haaland scored a brace, while Savigno provided three assists, scored one goal, and created one own goal in two matches, being involved in all five goals.
In the 58th minute, Manchester City's high pressing, which was not particularly forceful, caused a pass error from Kudus, with De Bruyne providing the assist and Foden adding to the score.
In the 71st minute, Manchester City's defense relaxed somewhat, with a clear oversight in the penalty area, allowing Fillkroog to pull one back.
Ultimately, Manchester City won 4-1 away against West Ham United, achieving their third victory in the last 15 matches and also their long-awaited second consecutive Premier League win. After this match, Manchester City remains in sixth place but is gradually closing the gap with the teams ahead of them.