Before a ball was kicked at the London Stadium, Pep Guardiola had effectively set the terms of his own verdict. “If we drop points, it will be over,” he had said. Manchester City then dropped points. And the title race — barring something extraordinary — is over.
The irony was surgical. Arsenal had beaten Everton with two goals in the final minutes barely 20 minutes before City’s kick-off, meaning Guardiola, serving a touchline ban from the stands, watched his side kick off already further behind than when the week started.
City led on the half-hour. Bernardo Silva drifted the ball over Mads Hermansen with what appeared to be a combination of intent and fortunate dink — but the goal stood and it seemed, briefly, like the afternoon might unfold as scripted. It lasted four minutes.
West Ham’s first corner found Konstantinos Mavropanos, the former Arsenal defender, arriving completely unmarked. Gianluigi Donnarumma came off his line and missed it entirely. Mavropanos headed home without being challenged.
The second half was a study in creative sterility. City had 71% possession, 15 corners, and 21 shots. They hit the bar through Tijjani Reijnders and Erling Haaland contrived to miskick from 12 yards — a moment that prompted Darren Fletcher on TNT Sports to say: “That’s the epitome of a striker lacking in a bit of confidence. And I never thought I’d say that about Manchester City’s No. 9.”
It’s now three Premier League goals in 12 matches for Haaland. City have taken seven points from their last 12 available in the league. They have a game in hand on Arsenal, and they host the Gunners later in the season — Guardiola has not quite thrown in the towel, saying “When it’s not possible, after I don’t know, half an hour, an hour, because they have to celebrate, I’ll call Mikel and congratulate him.” But the trajectory is unmistakable. West Ham, for their part, moved out of the relegation zone for the first time since December.