Manchester City 3-0 West Ham: Erling Haaland breaks Premier League record as City return to top of table

Erling Haaland scored a record-breaking 35th Premier League goal of the season as Manchester City returned to the top of the table with a 3-0 win over a depleted West Ham at Etihad Stadium. The returning Nathan Ake netted his first league goal of the campaign early in the second half before Haaland chipped over goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to move one ahead of previous record holders Andy Cole and Alan Shearer with five games to spare.

Ad Substitute Phil Foden completed the scoring and marked 1,000 goals for City under the leadership of Pep Guardiola. Premier LeagueHaaland breaks Premier League goal record for single season28 MINUTES AGO The result saw City move a point ahead of Arsenal at the summit and with a game in hand.

West Ham’s pre-match preparations were disrupted after Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Nayef Aguerd picked up a sickness bug and were sent home earlier in the day, subsequently missing the squad. Despite the upheaval, David Moyes’ side – playing in a 5-4-1 formation – carried out their game-plan perfectly in the first half, limiting Man City to few chances.

Rodri had the best opportunity when he struck the bottom of the post. City’s deputy goalkeeper Stefan Ortega was handed his Premier League debut with Ederson named on the bench, while Kevin De Bruyne was still missing with an injury.

Premier League table Premier League fixtures / results Premier League top scorers West Ham’s resistance was broken just five minutes after the restart when Ake was left unmarked at the far post to power a header past Fabianski from Riyad Mahrez’s free-kick delivery. There were signs the Hammers were growing into the game when Haaland put the game beyond doubt with his 51st goal in all competitions, lifting the ball over