The Man City vs West Ham timeline told a story of one-sided Premier League football, with Manchester City cruising to a 3-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium on December 20, 2025, with kick-off at 3:00 PM.
Before an attendance of 52,454, Erling Haaland scored twice and assisted a third as Pep Guardiola’s side extended their winning run to five consecutive Premier League matches, placing serious pressure on Arsenal at the summit of the table.
West Ham, by contrast, went into Christmas in the relegation zone after a lacklustre display that stretched their winless run to six games.
First Half: Haaland and Reijnders Put City in Control
City showed their intent from the very first minute, with Haaland breaking the deadlock after just five minutes.
Nico González played Phil Foden into the box, who pulled back for the Norwegian — his initial right-foot shot was blocked by Alphonse Areola, but he pounced on the rebound and thumped home with his left foot.
Haaland was inches from doubling his tally moments later when Rayan Cherki’s cross found him at the perfect height, only for the striker to head wide.
City remained in complete control and patient in their build-up play, and added a second in the 38th minute.
Cherki wriggled into the box to feed Haaland, who, with no room to shoot himself, laid off for Tijjani Reijnders — the Dutchman smashed the ball into the roof of the net from close range.
First Half Timeline
| Minute | Event | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5′ | Goal | Erling Haaland | Manchester City |
| 28′ | Shot saved | Tijjani Reijnders | Manchester City |
| 38′ | Goal | Tijjani Reijnders | Manchester City |
| 41′ | Head wide | Erling Haaland | Manchester City |
| HT | Half-time | Man City 2-0 West Ham |
- Haaland opened the scoring inside five minutes after a smart move down the left
- West Ham barely threatened in the first half, offering very little going forward
- Reijnders finished clinically from close range to double the lead
Second Half: Haaland Seals It, West Ham Briefly Stir
Man City vs West Ham Timeline: Second Half
West Ham showed greater energy after the restart and went close when Crysencio Summerville won possession and crossed from the byline, with Gianluigi Donnarumma parrying Freddie Potts’ shot and Mateus Fernandes blasting over from the rebound.
Jarrod Bowen also dragged an effort wide as the Hammers briefly threatened.
But City snuffed out any fightback in the 69th minute.
Substitutes Savinho and Rico Lewis combined to send City surging forward, and though the ball did not reach Haaland cleanly, two West Ham defenders failed to clear and the striker pounced to rifle past Areola for his second.
Haaland went close to completing a hat-trick in stoppage time, shooting narrowly wide in the final seconds.
Full Match Timeline
| Minute | Event | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5′ | Goal | Erling Haaland | Man City |
| 38′ | Goal | Tijjani Reijnders | Man City |
| 64′ | Shot saved | Freddie Potts | West Ham |
| 67′ | Substitution | Savinho/Rico Lewis | Man City |
| 69′ | Goal | Erling Haaland | Man City |
| 75′ | Shot wide | Jarrod Bowen | West Ham |
| 78′ | Header at Areola | Rúben Dias | Man City |
| 79′ | Shot wide | Phil Foden | Man City |
| FT | Full-time | Man City 3-0 West Ham |
Match Stats Summary
| Stat | Man City | West Ham |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 66.2% | 33.8% |
| Shots on Goal | 8 | 3 |
| Shot Attempts | 17 | 7 |
| Yellow Cards | 1 | 1 |
| Corner Kicks | 6 | 0 |
| Saves | 4 | 5 |
- Haaland’s brace took his combined club and country tally for the season to 38 goals
- West Ham had zero corner kicks across the entire 90 minutes
- The result was City’s fifth consecutive Premier League win
- West Ham spent Christmas in the relegation zone after a sixth successive game without a win