City overwhelm passive Hammers

A rare moment of hope as Cresswell score

West Ham 1 Man City 4

I’m with daughter Nell and Citeh fan John at the German deli in Hackney Wick where there’s a huge queue for the bratwurst. Then the gas runs out and there’s flustered staff and a lack of change for refunds. It seems to predict West Ham’s day, which goes from bad to wurst.

It’s on to the London Stadium where Matt reports similar chaos in the Best Café. Mystifyingly Moyes has dropped Masuaku for the 36-year-old Evra, depriving us of our best crosser.

West Ham start off passively, sitting back but without any pressing. Moyes’ game plan soon disintegrates as Sane’s shot takes a fortunate deflection off Evra’s head to beat the helpless Adrian. City’s second is a comedy of errors as Adrian rushes from goal and is stranded by Sane. Ogbonna appears to clear the danger but then Cresswell allows Sterling an age to play in De Bruyne, whose hard low cross is bundled in by a combination of Rice, with his angles all wrong, and poor old Zabaleta.

Arnautovic does have the ball in the City net after bundling over Ederson, but the goal is disallowed, probably correctly. Arnie and Lanzini combine nicely to almost set up Cresswell. But that seems to rouse West Ham a little as Lanzini starts to make some decent runs. Fernandes should have a penalty when he’s brought down in the box, but the ref gives it outside the box. It doesn’t matter because Cresswell fires in a fine free-kick. It’s been a better last 15 minutes before the break, but West Ham have just made City angry.

LAYING ON THE CROSS FOR JESUS

After the break Jesus plays a brilliant ball through to Sterling who pulls back for Jesus to score. Sterling has a penalty appeal wrongly turned down. A few minutes later Sterling sets up Fernandinho for the fourth. City’s passing is on a different planet to West Ham and De Bruyne is a joy to watch, with Sane and Sterling brilliant on the flanks. And at least City fan John is enjoying it. But even so, it’s a horribly passive performance from the Irons.

"Pre-season starts in July!" shouts one irate fan. Three subs come on and Mario miscontrolling a great cross from Masuaku seems to sum up our malaise. The lack of alternatives to Noble and Kouyate in central midfield becomes even more glaring. Chicharito strolls around obviously annoyed not to have been give a starting slot after scoring against Chelsea, but there’s still no excuse for his unprofessional performance here, as Alan Shearer later points out on MOTD. Hugill would at least show enthusiasm.

WE'RE ALL DOOMED

Thankfully City take it easy after that. If WHU don’t show more passion we’re going down. We retreat to the Railway for pints of Doom Bar to match the fact we’re doomed. At least we get a seat and it’s reasonably priced compared to the Refreshment Rooms. We muse in moribund fashion over the sale of James Tomkins, which is when our demise seemed to start, and reminisce about the good old days of sacking Avram Grant after the Wigan game. 

We didn’t expect anything against City, but even so, West Ham have to be so much better against Leicester if we are to survive.

PLAYER RATINGS: Adrian 5; Zabaleta 4, Ogbonna 5, Rice 5, Evra 4 (Masuaku 5), Cresswell 5; Fernandes 5 (Hernandez 3), Kouyate 4, Noble 4, Lanzini 5 (Mario 4); Arnautovic 5.