Man City 4-1 West Ham:  Pep Guardiola’s aspect file back-to-back league wins for the primary time since OCTOBER with a dominant exhibiting on the Etihad

Funnily enough, this wasn’t overly different to the previous two months at Manchester City and when Pep Guardiola speaks about needing to be lucky, he genuinely means it.

Now to win a game with a three-goal margin is not inherently fortunate yet the foundations for that can be. City attacked with more guile and invention but still defended with frightful disregard for their duties.

And so that is where the luck is and Guardiola doesn’t mind it. He doesn’t mind that similar occurred at Leicester City either. He doesn’t mind because, at this stage, any positive result can come in whichever form it presents itself. It will have to change soon but for now, victories chip away at their confidence problems. Even if that is all a bit superficial.

What did alter came in possession and the attacking third, where Erling Haaland moved to 21 goals in all competitions with a brace and Savinho put in his finest display in blue. More positives than in previous weeks for sure.

Consecutive wins help the psyche and while West Ham – on the back of their shellacking by Liverpool – can have no complaints at how they gave up two quick second-half goals, and thus surrendering the points – there was a spell where this felt eerily familiar for Guardiola. West Ham actually recorded almost double the number of shots on goal in the end.

Julen Lopetegui’s body language told everything about where West Ham are right now and where this match had veered towards. City had been carved open three times in the opening nine minutes – Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek squandering their moments – and then fortuitously led in the tenth.

As the visitors were messing up yet another break, Lopetegui’s arms were outstretched low by his side and face contorted in what could have been mistaken for a particularly aggressive version of Cristiano Ronaldo’s trademark celebration.

There was nothing to cheer after Savinho’s cross deflected past Alphonse Areola via Vladimir Coufal, and Lopetegui’s frustration resulted in a booking immediately following referee Michael Salisbury blowing up for a foul on Manuel Akanji as Crysencio Summerville raced clear on halfway. 

Whether the call was right or not, it might have been reasonable to expect Salisbury to let it go and allow VAR to do the rest if required.

Kudus again fluffed his lines by firing wide as City gifted short ball away from their own corner – not the first time that’s happened in the last few weeks – and West Ham were punished. 

Bernardo Silva could have added a second from Haaland’s cutback but it was left to the Norway international to give City breathing space three minutes before the break.

Haaland’s precise header at the back stick felt more certain than he has presented in recent times, probably buoyed by the goal at Leicester, yet he owed it to Savinho. 

The 20-year-old’s come under significant scrutiny since a summer move from sister club Troyes, and has heaped pressure upon himself, but the last week offers something of a start to his career here.

Rico Lewis and Phil Foden did good work in shifting out to the Brazilian and he did the rest, pushing and rushing past Coufal, bending a wicked cross for Haaland to attack. Classic wing play then followed up in the 55th minute by the other side to his game.

Savinho picked up possession just inside City’s half and only had one thought: find Haaland. He drove and drove as West Ham jockeyed, backing off, and waited for Haaland’s run. Nicely timed, as they often are, and the weight of pass perfect for the striker to manoeuvre clear and dink in a second.

West Ham were seemingly done now, a lost outfit struggling for coherence and gifted the fourth two minutes before the hour. Kudus was sloppy with a pass but the whole sequence felt too risky inside their own third anyway, Kevin De Bruyne saying his thanks, nudging to Foden and then net rippled.

Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gundogan came on and City went to pieces, conceding when Niclas Fullkrug stole a march on Josko Gvardiol to calmly slide beyond Stefan Ortega at the end of a neat move involving Soucek. It came from his side but didn’t involve Walker, who was 10 yards out of position up the pitch.

Summerville later blazed over, Lucas Paqueta angled an effort marginally wide. Lopetegui threw Danny Ings on in hunt of a comeback and there was briefly a whiff of that Feyenoord capitulation. It didn’t materialise for West Ham though, which Guardiola will hope signifies a shift in City’s general outlook.