City EDS score five again to see off West Ham

Kian Breckin got the first goal of the evening with a tidy finish to see us go into half time with the lead.

Oscar Bobb hit a spectacular shot to grab the second moments into the second half, before Carlos Borges got a bit of help from West Ham’s Freddie Potts to score our third.

Breckin doubled his tally for the evening on the break, then City were awarded a penalty which Alex Robertson dispatched confidently.

Divin Mubama scored a consolation in stoppage time, as another win extended the gap at the summit to five points.

WHAT HAPPENED

This appeared to be a tough assignment for City, with West Ham coming into the clash with six wins in their last eight matches in the league.

Brian Barry-Murphy’s side came to the Rush Green Stadium looking to bounce back from midweek’s disappointment of being knocked out of the UEFA Youth League by Hajduk Split.

City pushed early to break the deadlock. Patient build-up play left Kian Breckin in space on the left to float a ball into the box. Alex Robertson met it but could not get enough contact on the ball to strike it on target.

Waves of pressure were still camping the hosts into their own half.

A cross was cleared by West Ham’s Freddie Potts, but landed at the feet of Breckin. His shot was finely saved by the foot of Krisztian Hegyi, despite a number of West Ham bodies being in his view.

The Hammers responded after a switch of the ball reached Regan Clayton, who just kept the ball in play. The left wing back drilled the ball to the edge of the box where Maxwel Cornet was, but his strike sailed just over the crossbar.

Elegant sequences of passes beat the West Ham press, as Dire Mebude drifted into the box, but his shot was saved with no fuss by the keeper.

And this continued pressure was soon rewarded.

Carlos Borges presented us with his signature run into the box, something he does so effectively, before he played it to Breckin who in turn placed the ball into the goal with a neat finish.

City’s confidence rose after the breakthrough, we played it nicely through the thirds and the ball reached Robertson, before he laid it to Breckin, who was searching for his second of the night, but his attempt went high over the crossbar on this occasion.

But City had Lakyle Samuel to thank down at the other end for preserving our clean sheet.

Daniel Chesters played in a teasing cross that Cornet connected with, and his header was crucially cleared off the line by the 16-year-old.

City almost started the second half with a second goal with two chances in quick succession.

Robertson struck the post from a free kick and then Charles found Borges, who hit a tame effort, which rolled into the keeper’s grateful arms.

It took something spectacular to break the Hammers defence for a second time.

Oscar Bobb drifted into the box before he curled in a sensational, finessed shot which beat the outstretched Hegyi to double the advantage.

City went up a gear and were hungry for more. Mebude made a direct run into the box, but his shot was saved by the legs of Hegyi, who was there once again for the hosts.

West Ham were claiming for a penalty from a Shea Charles body challenge.

Then 30 seconds later, Borges had space on the left to carry the ball into the box and his shot-come-cross made its way home after Potts slid the ball into the back of the net.

The east London outfit nearly clawed one back from a corner. The ball bobbled in the six-yard box before being struck by Keenan Appiah-Forson and parried off the line by City keeper, Cierian Slicker.

Spaces were there when City counterattacked, as Breckin raced away into the box, cut inside his defender, and fired in his second to finish off a swift attacking move.

The scoring did not stop there. A penalty was awarded to City after Luizao’s arm deflected a cross in the box, and Robertson smashed home from the spot to make it the fifth goal of the evening.

Finely Burns leaped to deny the Hammers a consolation goal from Chesters.

But the Hammers did, eventually, deny City another clean sheet deep into second half stoppage time, as Chesters’ cross was served to Divin Mubama who was free in the box, to head home.

HOW WE LINED UP

Cieran Slicker started between the posts, with a back four of Terrell Agyemang, Finley Burns, Jadel Katongo and Lakyle Samuel protecting him.

Shea Charles sat in front of the defence, with Kian Breckin and Oscar Bobb playing further forward in a midfield three.

Alex Robertson led the attacking line, with Dire Mebude and Carlos Borges on the wings, supporting the striker.

West Ham United U21s XI: Hegyi, Chesters, Potts, Laing, Luizao, Clayton, Appiah-Forson, Orford (Kadua 84’ ), Simon-Swyer (Earthy 84’ ), Mubama, Cornet (Okoflex 46’ )

Unused subs: Knightbridge, Casey

Manchester City EDS XI: Slicker, Agyemang (Galvez 55’), Burns, Katongo (Dickson 78’), Samuel, Breckin, Charles (C), Bobb, Mebude (Adam 72’), Robertson, Borges (Hamilton 71’)

Unused subs: McNamara

WHAT IT MEANS

Victory for Brian Barry-Murphy’s side puts us five points clear at the top of the Premier League 2 table.

It has also extended our unbeaten run to nine games as we build momentum heading into the latter stages of the campaign, with another title charge upon us.

WHAT’S NEXT

City have a two-week break, before we play host to Manchester United at the Academy Stadium in the second Manchester derby of the campaign.

The hotly anticipated encounter is scheduled to kick off at 14:00 (UK) on Saturday 19 March.

Next Fixture

All fixtures

Sun 19 Mar

Premier League 2

Man City

12:00

GMT

Man United