In their match against West Ham United yesterday night at the Etihad, Manchester City won for the ninth time in a row, giving Pep Guardiola reason to be optimistic about his team’s chances of winning the Premier League once more.
After their most recent victory, the Sky Blues increased the pressure on Arsenal and moved one point ahead to overtake their rivals and oust them from the top spot with only five games left to play.
On the blue side of Manchester, everything was as typical last night. City controlled 69% of the ball, had more shots on goal (16 v 6), had more major chances (6 v 1), completed more accurate passes (656 v 255), and won more tackles (16 v 12).
The Hammers performed well to stave off their rivals in the first half, putting on a strong defensive display and keeping the attacking threat as quiet as possible to remain in the game when the halftime whistle blew.
Nathan Ake scored the game’s first goal for City in the 49th minute, which was quickly followed by a second goal from the inevitable Erling Haaland, and Phil Foden completed the scoring with a fantastic strike in the 85th minute to put the game away for City in the final 45 minutes.
Indeed, Haaland made headlines for all the right reasons after his incredible, record-breaking performance made the Norwegian giant the Premier League’s top scorer in a season with 35 goals and counting.
When Ake returned to the starting lineup last night, he was Guardiola’s unsung hero thanks to an outstanding all-around performance that helped City get closer to their eighth league championship.
The performance of Ake vs West Ham.
Without a doubt, Ake has been a breath of fresh air in the back line and an essential component of Man City’s supremacy throughout the second half of the season.
Due to an injury that kept him out of action for the past several weeks, the excellent defender had not started a league game since the beginning of April. His spectacular return to action last night demonstrated why he has been a regular throughout.
The £90k-per-week ace, who has been praised as “unbelievable” by colleague Jack Grealish, won all of his ground and aerial duels combined throughout his 77-minute display.
Along with winning two tackles, completing two clearances, and scoring the crucial opening goal, the Dutchman also had 68 touches of the ball and completed 53 accurate passes.
Guardiola will undoubtedly be pleased that Ake had an immediate impact after returning to the starting lineup since the manager had stated in January that “without Nathan right now, we cannot play well.”
As a result, City is in a great position to succeed in their quest for a historic treble-winning season now that Ake is once again available for selection. He will almost certainly continue to play a significant role in the team.