WEST HAM 0, MANCHESTER CITY 5 (FA Cup 3rd Round)
- Winston Reid keeps West Ham in the game with series of early tackles and blocks
- Yaya Toure with penalty to break the deadlock after 33 minutes (4th of the season)
- Sofiane Feghouli misses an open goal chance to equalise
- Havard Nordveit OG from Bacary Sagna cross puts City 2-up on 42 minutes
- David Silva tap-in from Raheem Sterling cross makes it 3 on 43 minutes (4th of the season)
- Sergio Aguero goes third in list of all-time City scorers after he makes it 4 in the 50th minute (18th of the season)
- John Stones with header from a City corner from Nolito’s corner with 6 minutes to go (1st of the season)
West Ham were demolished in ten first half minutes by a Manchester City side who appear to have rediscovered their early season form and ruthlessly took the Hammers apart in a 10 minute spell during the first period at the London Stadium.
There was even time for Sergio Aguero to move up to third place on City’s list of all time scorers with his 18th goal of the season early in the second half as City cruised to victory in London with home fans leaving in their droves throughout the second half leaving John Stones to score his first City goal in a half empty stadium at the end.
Pep Guardiola was understandably delighted at the return to form of Manchester City at a West Ham side who capitulated after the first City goal and suffered their worst home defeat in the FA Cup.
The Spaniard hoped that the City players and fans would believe in his philosophy after a fine performance was supplemented with goals.
“Going away is not easy, but this can hopefully make the players believe that we ae good enough. The fans can believe that we are good.
“We have fought a lot, played good, sometimes not good.”
“The win was pleasing. We were able to keep the ball more than the last games. We created more chances and conceded few.
“Before the penalty we had three or four clear chances and after the second and third goal the second half was easy.
Pep Guardiola fields strong Manchester City side in his first FA Cup game
Pablo Zabaleta took up the suspended Fernandinho’s midfield anchor role after Pep Guardiola made good on his promise to field a strong side for his first ever experience of the FA Cup.
Zabaleta was joined in the team by Sergio Aguero, David Silva, John Stones and Willy Caballero as Kelechi Iheanacho, Jesus Navas, Aleksandar Kolarov and Claudio Bravo made way.
West Ham played their part too, with Hammers boss Slaven Bilic making just three changes from the side that lost to West Ham after being reduced to ten men on Monday following Sofiane Feghouli’s red card in the game against Manchester United for their first FA Cup tie at their new home – the London Stadium.
The Algerian avoided suspension after his sending off was rescinded on appeal and stayed in the side, and he was joined by Andy Carroll, goalkeeper Adrian, and midfielder Edimilson Fernandes as African Cup of Nations bound Cheikhou Kouyate, Dimitri Payet and Darren Randolph stepped down.
City were utterly dominant with Winston Reid a one-man defence for the Hammers in the opening stages, denying a series of goal chances notably from David Silva and Raheem Sterling a couple of times, while Sergio Aguero tested Adrian with a volley from an early City corner.
The floodgates finally opened after the Hammers conceded what looked a soft penalty when David Silva found Pablo Zableta in the area and the Argentine used his experience to go down under pressure from Angelo Ogbonna.
Yaya Toure made no mistake from the penalty spot, scoring his 13th penalty in as many attempts from all competitions for the club after 33 minutes.
West Ham will regret missed chances by Michail Antonio, saved by Willy Caballero early on, and City’s Argentine ‘keeper thought he was going to concede the equaliser after he spilled a 35th minute shot by Antonio which fell to Sofiane Feghouli.
Sofiane Feghouli misses easy chance to equalise for West Ham
Three yards out, the Algerian contrived to stab the ball across the open goal under pressure from Gael Clichy when scoring would have been easier.
West Ham’s chance to put pressure on City was gone and the visitors silenced the home crowd with two goals in two minutes before the break.
Feghouli’s corner routine was intercepted by Caballero after 42 minutes, and 12 passes later Bacary Sagna was putting a superbly angled cross in for Sterling was put past his own ‘keeper by Havard Nortveit as the England man raced in.
And one minute and 43 seconds later Silva was converting Sterling’s right-wing cross from six yards out.
If West Ham fans still believed they could come back from 3-0 down they had no chance from 4-0 down after 50 minutes.
Sterling’s cross from the left was drilled in by Yaya Toure form the edge of the area and turned in by Aguero from barely six yards out.
It was Aguero’s 18th goal of the season and took him to 154 goals for City, one past Colin Bell and clear into third place on City’s list of all time scorers and needing another 24 to draw level with Eric Brook at the summit.
With the second half effectively a dead rubber, Pep Guardiola took the opportunity to bring on Nolito, Aleix Garcia and Fabian Delph – with the latter having last seen action for City on August 24 against Steaua Bucharest.
John Stones capped a fine performance by City by scoring his first goal for City after Mark Noble couldn’t clear his header off the line following Nolito’s corner.
Aguero’s late chance to make it six stung Adrian’s palms as City oozed class throughout.