For 45 minutes West Ham seemed, by the power of deep collective defence, to be giving Manchester City their toughest test of the Premier League season to date, a goal up and coiled behind a quick-breaking attack.
By the final knockings of the second half on a clammy day in east London the away fans were pogoing about happily, Erling Haaland had finally scored a goal, after almost scoring a goal more times than seemed humanly possible in a single game of football, and City were romping towards their fourth straight win of the season, 3-1 up and on the verge of returning to the top of the table.
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