Supersonic Erling Haaland hits another hat-trick as City maintain perfect start
Erling Haaland scored another hat-trick as Manchester City maintained their perfect record this season and moved to the top of the charts in front of watching Oasis star Noel Gallagher.
Pep Guardiola's masterplan was executed to perfection again as Haaland made it back-to-back trebles and seven goals in just three matches to bury West Ham 3-1.
With Gallagher in the stands at the London Stadium – a ticket was presumably easier to get hold of than for one of their shows – Haaland crashed in his eighth Premier League hat-trick.
It took his tally against teams managed by Julen Lopetegui to 12 in five matches, including a treble against Wolves in January last year.
The Norwegian, fresh from hitting three against Ipswich last weekend, opened the scoring after Bernardo Silva dispossessed former City target Lucas Paqueta.
Silva slipped in Haaland, who raced unchecked towards Alphonse Areola’s goal before calmly slotting the ball past the West Ham keeper.
City immediately threatened to blow the hosts away with Areola making a fine save to tip Kevin De Bruyne’s shot over the top.
De Bruyne’s side-footed effort then came back off the far post with Jack Grealish, making his first start of the season, hitting the rebound wide.
But, little by little, West Ham came back into the contest and they equalised in the 19th minute when Paqueta fed Bowen, who scampered down the right before putting in a low cross which Ruben Dias sliced into his own net.
However, they were on level terms for only 10 minutes before City worked the ball along the edge of the home penalty area and Rico Lewis fed Haaland, who took a touch before lashing his shot into the roof of the net.
Haaland almost had a hat-trick before half-time when he was felled on the edge of the