Man City look ready to concede title as West Ham exit drop zone

They are only just clinging on in the Premier League title race, but so much of what Manchester City did on this night suggested that not even they believe that catching Arsenal is possible.

The winning goals a few miles west at the Emirates Stadium went in for Arsenal as the teams were warming up. If the intensity of Mikel Arteta’s players was an indicator of what was required then City never really had it. By the end of the night, the swing for Arsenal felt immense: nine points clear with City having played one game fewer and that league clash between the two of them next month.

Later Pep Guardiola would say that he had not given up hope, but he did then talk a lot about next season. “It is complicated,” he said. “I am not saying it is easy to beat them [Arsenal] at home [on April 19]. I am always positive, just like I am positive for next Tuesday [against Real Madrid]. After that reality will dictate. I am not going to play into the thinking it is not possible [to win the title]. After 30 minutes [should Arsenal win the title] I will call Mikel and congratulate him but until then we want to be there.”

It is a long way back for City – as much in terms of performance than points. This was very far from a classic, featuring a City team who have slipped from the lofty heights of the historic years of Guardiola’s dominance of English football. And another who are just glad to be out the relegation zone for the first time since November.

Guardiola himself was banned from the touchline and watching from the stand, constantly on the phone to his touchline assistant Pep Lijnders. His bench alone looked strong enough to qualify for the Champions League. But on the pitch they started slowly and even in the desperate final moments it never really flowed.

It is now three goals in 12 games for Erling Haaland who faced a Nuno Espírito Santo team with five at the back and some deep-lying midfielders. There seemed to be groin injury for the great Norwegian although Guardiola suggested it was not serious. “Hopefully his wife will be happy tonight,” was his rather blunt analysis.

Asked how his team had defended, Nuno responded with a rare smile and said that doing so well was “the only way” to approach the challenge of a team like City. None epitomised that more than the West Ham goalscorer Konstantinos Mavropanos taking a big shot from Haaland right in the face in the latter stages. When the ball dropped to Marc Guéhi in the West Ham box in the 95th minute the home team could do no more than offer up a little prayer of hope. He duly flayed it over with his right foot.

“We could be better,” Guardiola said. “We could be more aggressive in the first half – better control maybe. In the end we need creativity: the cross, the shot, the dribble and we are struggling a bit this season. Something changed, Savinho’s [missed] chance [against Real Madrid], Marc this time.

“But it’s not easy: defences in a low block, the transitions teams have. Madrid are more dangerous than West Ham on transition. On set-pieces, Nuno is a master. What can I say to the team? They did everything. They had 21 shots. We have to be better in the final third – that’s all. It has happened many times this season.”

The City goal that had briefly given them the lead in the 31st minute was a miscued cross from Bernardo Silva and for all the star quality later unleashed on West Ham there was not much more. Haaland missed a couple of chances, including a ball pushed through the West Ham back line by the substitute Rayan Cherki, who was the game’s silkiest performer.

Guardiola had started the game in a new kind of formation very different to his old principle of wingers that stayed high and wide. Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo tucked in behind Haaland and the going was slow. City looked better when Jérémy Doku came on for the final push and Cherki pulled the strings in midfield.

Guardiola would even admit that he got it wrong not starting with Cherki, adding that Nico O’Reilly and Semenyo gave the team greater stability. Phil Foden came on as a late second-half substitute now much further down the pecking order than at the start of the season.

City’s one goal from Bernardo had been fortunate. They had worked it to him on the left side and coming into the area, their captain glanced upwards to assess his options. He was looking at the cross. For a footballer with such faultless technique this time there was an error. He stabbed rather than stroked his shot and the intended cross turned into a perfect lob over Mads Hermansen.

City conceded in West Ham’s first attack after the goal. Jarrod Bowen’s corner was uncontested – evading the punch from Gianluigi Donnarumma. Guéhi crashed into the goalkeeper. Mavropanos had a relatively simple task to get enough contact to send the ball in.

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