This is the seventh installment of our “Match Review” series, in which we analyze Premier League matches and explain the turning points that greatly influenced the outcome of the match. This time, I will be reporting on the Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham, the 13th match of the season, which took place on November 28. Whether you watched the game in full or not, you will enjoy this article, so be sure to read it all the way through.
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Pre-game analysis: A game we can’t afford to lose if we want to stay on top
Manchester City vs West Ham, the 13th match of the Premier League season, was held on November 28 at the Etihad Stadium, the home of Manchester City.
After a 0-1 loss to Tottenham in their opening match, Manchester City has been on a roll ever since, winning eight, drawing two, and losing one. They are now in second place. Although they don’t have an outstanding ace striker, they have scored 25 goals, the third most in the league. They also conceded the fewest goals, and their five goals conceded is the second best in the league. Josep Guardiola’s team has a good balance between offense and defense.
However, it is also true that they are behind the leaders, Chelsea, in the standings, goals scored and goals conceded. The only thing Josep Guardiola’s team wants is to win again. This game will be a battle that they cannot afford to lose in order to take over the top spot.
West Ham, on the other hand, has been doing very well so far, finishing fourth in the league. Last season, when they finished 6th in the league and qualified for the Europa League, it was a good enough season for them, but to finish 4th, ahead of the mega clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham, is an accomplishment. But to finish fourth, ahead of mega clubs Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham, is an accomplishment.
This time around, they will be playing away from home and at the Etihad Stadium, a difficult place to play, but they will be hoping to bring home some points to solidify their position at the top of the table.
This is a matchup that neither team can afford to lose if they want to stay on top. Manchester City will be looking to break down the opposition through possession, while West Ham will be looking to score on the counter-attack, so it’s sure to be an exciting matchup between two opposing identities.
Let’s take a look at the starting lineup.
Manchester city
| POS. | NO. | NAME |
| GK | 31 | Ederson |
| DF | ２ | Kyle Walker |
| ３ | Ruben Diaz | |
| 14 | Emerick Laporte | |
| 27 | Joao Cancelo | |
| MF | 16 | Rhodri |
| ８ | Ilkay Gündoğan | |
| 20 | Bernardo Silva | |
| FW | ７ | Raheem Sterling |
| ９ | Gabriele Jesús | |
| 26 | Riyad Mahrez |
West Ham
| POS. | NO. | NAME |
| GK | １ | Lukasz Fabianski |
| DF | 31 | Ben Johnson |
| 4 | Kurt Zouma | |
| 15 | Craig Dawson | |
| ３ | Aaron Cresswell | |
| MF | 28 | Tomasz Socek |
| 41 | Declan Rice | |
| ８ | Pablo Fornals | |
| 22 | Said Benrahma | |
| 26 | Artur Masuaku | |
| FW | ９ | Michael Antonio |
Manchester City made three changes from the previous game against Everton. They have Gabriel Jesus up top, Mahrez on the wing, and Ruben Diaz at center back.
West Ham, on the other hand, made only one change. In contrast, West Ham made only one change, bringing in Arlol Masuaku on the wing, who is a side-back in his own right, to make their lineup a little more defensive.
Manchester City vs West Ham to be a hotly contested match in heavy snow
The matchup between Manchester City and West Ham was played in the middle of a heavy snowfall. The basic pattern of the game was that Manchester City had the ball and West Ham was on the receiving end of it. Manchester City had more than 70 percent of the possession.
However, due to the snow and poor pitch conditions, Manchester City couldn’t turn the ball around as much as they wanted to and couldn’t break West Ham down. The away team tried to counterattack several times, but failed to capitalize. The game remained stagnant for the next 30 minutes.
In the 33rd minute of the first half, the game got underway. Riyad Mahrez got the ball on the right side of the pitch, cut in with his left foot, and sent a sharp ball to the far side, where it hit an opposing defender and spilled in front of İlkay Gündoğan. The German midfielder calmly slotted the ball home for the home team to take the lead.
Even though the home team took the lead, the rest of the match was still very competitive. Please see the stats below.
| Home | Away | |
| 68.5 | Possession | 31.5 |
| ９ | Shots on target | ３ |
| 19 | Shots | ５ |
| 895 | Touches | 494 |
| 728 | Passes | 330 |
| 15 | Tackles | 16 |
| 11 | Clear | 18 |
| ８ | Corners | ４ |
| ４ | Offside | ４ |
| ２ | Yellow cards | ０ |
| ７ | Fouls | ６ |
The stats show Manchester City dominating the game, but the actual game doesn’t reflect that. The score remained 1-0 until the very end of the second half.
The score remained 1-0 until the last minute of the second half, when Manchester City took advantage of West Ham’s defensive lapses.
In the 89th minute of the second half, Rodri won the ball high up front and passed it to Bernardo Silva, and the Portuguese midfielder went straight through to Jesús. The Brazilian forward cut in with his right foot and crossed a grounder to the free Fernandinho. The Brazilian forward cut in with his right foot and crossed a grounder to Fernandinho, who slotted the ball inside for Manchester City’s first goal of the game.
West Ham pulled one back in the second half with a super goal from Manuel Lanzini, but the fightback was short-lived. Manchester City won the matchup 2-1 at home under heavy snowfall.
So why did Manchester City come away with the three points? Let’s take a look at one of the turning points that made the difference.
The Turning Point: Pep’s Brilliant Leadership
The turning point that divided the match was the leadership of Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola (nicknamed Pep).
The first bright spot was the inclusion of Riyad Mahrez in the starting lineup. In the previous game against Everton, Phil Foden was used on the left wing, but this time, Raheem Sterling was chosen on the left and Riyad Mahrez on the right.
This time, I chose Raheem Sterling on the left and Riyad Mahrez on the right. I expected West Ham to set up a defensive network deep in their own half, so I chose Mahrez, who can change the situation by dribbling through. The first goal was scored by a cross from a cut-in by Mahrez.
But that was not the only good move Pep made. In the final minutes of the game, Pep brought on Fernandinho to solidify the defense in anticipation of West Ham’s attack. This move not only prevented West Ham from attacking back, but also resulted in an extra goal.
And while West Ham manager David Moyes has done a great job of leading his side to the top of the table with a lesser squad than the mega clubs, I have to give the edge to Guardiola in this one.
