Erling Haaland hammered home his point with just three touches in Man City win vs West Ham

Haaland's emphatic message to doubters

If Erling Haaland listened to the narrative, he'd have no confidence going into Manchester City's win at West Ham. Instead, but he was always alert on West Ham's big London Stadium pitch and showed his rapid turn of pace to dart onto a through-ball that looked lost and win a penalty. His confident finish and meditation celebration were nothing new, although could be interpreted as a message to those doubting him this week.

And after both Riyad Mahrez and Pep Guardiola said they expect the Algerian to take penalties despite Haaland's arrival, the pinpoint finish from 12 yards in off the post was arguably one of the best spot kicks seen from City in some time. Mahrez might not get those responsibilities back.

Three touches to hammer home his point

Haaland had just 16 touches in the first half at West Ham, but one was to nudge the ball past Alphonse Areola to win a penalty and another was to convert the penalty. He was more involved after the break, linking up play more, although he only needed one further touch when sent free by Kevin De Bruyne to slot home his second after some West Ham pressure to kill the game.

ALSO READ: Haaland reacts after scoring his first two goals for City

Once again, he saw a few runs go unnoticed, and City may have to get used to a central forward player who doesn't always show for the ball, but in Haaland they have a player always alert in the box. Even on a quiet day, he will score goals, showing it doesn't matter how many touches he has - more what he does with them.

Bernardo benched

On Friday, Pep Guardiola admitted he didn't know if Bernardo Silva would still be at City after the transfer window, amid interest from Barcelona and the player's long-held