This is what our next level looks like. We go up against the juggernaut that is Manchester City and our collective attitude is one of muted excitement. Yeah, the most likely outcome is a loss. City have put 22 past us at our rental I was reminded during the pre-game. But it isn’t that sense of dread, as if watching is a task we have been assigned by our sadistic boss. Let’s have a go, enjoy a little football, and see what happens. It’s a level that I am comfortable with, mostly because I have accepted that our board are not equipped to bring us any further along than that. But as a replacement for a constant fear of relegation, which I suspect will still creep up on me from time to time, I’ll take it all day long.
When you don’t watch City every week, you kind of forget how much they press. The constant harassment on all parts of the pitch. They won a corner, forced any number of cheap giveaways, and made life generally difficult. And that was in the opening five minutes. But unlike previous years, we have pace to get up the pitch and ask a few questions. That looked to be the theme early on.
City turned up the pressure even more in the 13th minute, starting with a low shot from Gundogan that went wide. City won a couple of corners, and for reasons I don’t understand Pep prefers to have them taken short. The visitors dominated the ball and showed great movement off the ball. But West Ham held their line, and unlike last Sunday we weren’t behind after 16 minutes.
If you take your chances, you can win on any day. And when Coufal got the ball from Soucek after he intercepted a pass, the newest Czech addition sent a cross into the box for Antonio. It was a bit behind the newest West Ham talisman, so it would take a real moment of quality. That’s what we got. Antonio manhandled Dias like he was an annoying gnat and put a glorious overhead kick into the back of the net. There was a handball question on Soucek that VAR looked at, but we were spared the absurdity of that and the goal stood. The last time City won a match on the road after conceding the first goal was when they beat Brighton to clinch the title in 2018-2019.
West Ham 1
Manchester City 0
City had a superb opportunity to draw level in the 25th minute when Cancelo put a low ball into the box that invited anyone in black to nudge it past Fabianski. But Mahrez met the ball at the far post and could only hit it into the arms of the Hammer’s keeper. Minutes later Garcia was given way too much space near the top of the West Ham eighteen yard box but his low shot went just wide.
As the first half wound down, West Ham threatened a bit with pressing play from Rice and Soucek. While their efforts were only able to produce a couple of blocked shots, it showed that despite City’s dominance on the ball West Ham still had it in them to threaten their guests.
Halftime
West Ham 1
Manchester City 0
The second half started badly for West Ham, but not because of anything Manchester City did. Antonio waved to the bench in the 49th minute while holding his right hamstring, the same one he tweaked at Spurs last week. He stayed on while replacements warmed up, but life got worse before they could come on when the camera showed De Bruyne warming up. Cancelo drove down the left as he did from the opening whistle to great effect and fed Foden in the box. The halftime substitute controlled the ball, spun, and beat Fabianski.
West Ham 1
Manchester City 1
City kept pressing, and with Bowen and Yarmolenko leading the line in the absence of Antonio all West Ham could muster was a corner. Down the other end Walker tested Fabianski with a dipping low shot. Still, despite the visitors dominance West Ham looked competitive. Even comfortable. Rice won the ball at midfield and fed Yarmolenko near the top of the City box. He tried his favorite left footed curler, but it went over the bar.
Against a side like City, you don’t get too many opportunities to even think about attack. In the 71st minute, Yarmolenko had the ball near the top of City’s box with Haller waiting inside. A little cross off his left foot was in order. But he kept trying to create space, and eventually lost possession with Haller looking on in vain. The Ukrainian acknowledged his bad decision with a little wave. I’ll forgive him eventually.
City won a corner in the 78th minute when Balbuena blocked a cross from Cancelo. City went short, and eventually won a second when Haller got his first touch of the day inside his second favorite box and headed the ball behind the goal. A minute later Ogbonna fouled Sterling, giving City a free kick from a potentially lethal position. De Bruyne stepped up to take it, but it sailed into the arms of Fabianski.
West Ham won a somewhat fortunate free kick in the 82nd minute when Fornals was pushed over after looking to have lost control of the ball. Cresswell tried to whip it in but City defended. Masuaku got the ball back near midfield and after a very nervy moment on the ball regained control. But while trying to get into an attacking position Soucek was called for handball and the threat was over.
Minutes later Masuaku made a stellar defensive play when he got back and stopped Mahrez from a point blank shot. A moment later Fornals was sent in alone, every West Ham supporter around the globe leaned in, and the in form Spaniard looked to try and chip the keeper but the ball didn’t get the height needed. Seconds later Fabianski came out to meet Sterling in the box to make a crucial save on what looked to be a certain goal. After a fairly quiet second half the action ratcheted up to fast and furious, giving my typing fingers quite a workout.
In the 89th minute Yarmolenko made what could have been a game losing mistake when he lost the ball and allowed City to break. Sterling ran into the West Ham area, but Ogbonna slowed him down just enough to let Yarmolenko get back and atone.
In the final seconds City won a corner, and the natural reaction in the past would have been to almost visualize the winner going in after some defensive error. Bad marking, a silly attempted clearance, whatever. City helped those fears by taking another short corner, which even a wine salesman can see is a strange decision with seconds left, and the whistle blew.
Final Score
West Ham 1
Manchester City 1
Despite City dominating possession, West Ham had every right to feel they earned that point. On a day where Masuaku….Masuaku for goodness sake….made some great defensive plays it’s more than reasonable to feel that way. Resolute defending that limited the opposition’s attempts, pace on the counter, and solid play in goal. That’s what we can and should expect.
I can live with this level.