Second half strikes from Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland saw Pep Guardiola’s men come from behind to maintain top spot in the Premier League.
We’re the only side in the competition with a 100% record this season and dealt the Hammers their first defeat of 2023/24 in the process.
It was a dream return for City following the international break, with some interesting numbers and milestones from the fixture available to read below…
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Bernardo’s brilliance
Bernardo Silva was once again at the centre of a memorable afternoon for City, getting his name on the scoresheet before releasing Erling Haaland to deliver the killing blow in London.
It’s the 11th time that the Portuguese international has both scored and assisted in a match for City, and he’s now been directly involved in 112 goals in all competitions for the Club in 311 appearances.
In an incredible demonstration of his ability to step up as either the scorer or provider when it matters, Bernardo boasts an equal split of 56 goals and 56 assists since he moved to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2017.
Hammer blow
City have now gone an impressive 16 Premier League matches without defeat against West Ham.
That run stretches all the way back to September 2015, when the Hammers earned a 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium in a match where Kevin De Bruyne scored his first goal in sky blue.
Since then, City have registered 13 wins and three draws, meaning we’ve taken a remarkable 42 points from a possible 48 since that reverse eight years ago.
It’s also West Ham’s joint-worst run against any Premier League side, having also failed to beat Manchester United between 1993 and 2001.
Strong start
It’s five wins from five now in the Premier League for City; a dream start to our third consecutive title defence.
Our latest victory over the Hammers means we’ve reached the milestone at the beginning of a campaign for just the fifth time in our history, with the first two coming in 1897/98 and 1912/13.
More recently, we’ve repeated the feat to begin the 2015/16 season and in 2016/17 – Pep Guardiola’s first year as City boss.
City have found the net 14 times in our opening five fixtures, conceding just three in return.
Doku delight
Jeremy Doku’s clinical finish just 43 seconds after the restart was the catalyst for a memorable comeback at the London Stadium.
It was a tantalising glimpse of the exciting player that Pep Guardiola has on his hands, with the winger cutting inside from the left, jinking onto his right foot and finding the far corner with surgical precision.
It was his first goal since joining City in August, and he became just the fourth Belgian to find the net for the Club in the process, alongside Emile Mpenza, Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne.
Alvarez turns provider
After an impressive debut campaign, Julian Alvarez has become a key figure for City in the opening stages of 2023/24, starting in each of our five Premier League fixtures so far.
He’s repaid that faith with five goal involvements so far this term, providing the perfect foil to Erling Haaland at the sharp end of the pitch.
Indeed, having failed to register an assist in 31 Premier League appearances last season, the Argentine has laid on for his team-mates on three occasions already in 2023/24.
