Manchester City 2-1 West Ham: David Silva scores to maintain incredible 13-match winning streak for Pep Guardiola's league leaders as they leave it late again
- Manchester City regained their eight-point Premier League lead with their victory at the Etihad Stadium
- The victory means City have won 13 Premier League games in a row since their draw against Everton
- Angelo Ogbonna headed the Hammers into a half-time lead before Pep Guardiola's City made a comeback
- Nicolas Otamendi scored the equaliser for City just short of the hour mark at the Etihad on Sunday
- Silva found the winner for City on 83 minutes as he guided the ball past West Ham keeper Adrian
s
For nearly an hour at the Etihad, the only players Pep Guardiola must have felt like grabbing around the neck were his own.
Manchester City had been frustrated again. For the third time in a week, here was hope for the rest of the Premier League that the title race is not all but over by the start of December.
Held at bay by a spirited West Ham side and some quite wonderful goalkeeping from Adrian, a cumbersome City were not only in danger of surrendering their long winning run, but even suffering a first home defeat in any competition for exactly a year.
Scroll down for video
It was David Silva's turn this week to rescue Manchester City as the Spaniard celebrates his winning goal
The City skipper latched on to Kevin de Bruyne's cross to guide the ball past Adrian with less than 10 minutes remaining
Silva moved quickly to enter the Hammers penalty area unmarked and unseen as he stabbed home the winner
Pep Guardiola celebrates as he again watches his City side snatch the three points late on as they regain their eight point lead
Meanwhile David Moyes leaves the Etihad Stadium empty handed and still awaiting his first win as West Ham manager
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
5.1k shares
MATCH FACTS, RATINGS, TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
Manchester City (4-3-3)
Ederson 6; Walker 6, Otamendi 7.5, Mangala 5, Danilo 5 (Jesus 46, 8); Delph 6.5, De Bruyne 7, D Silva 7; Sterling 6.5, Aguero 5.5 (Fernandinho 85), Sane 6 (B Silva 90)
Subs not used: Bravo, Toure, Gundogan, Kompany
Goals: Otamendi 57; Silva 83
Booked: De Bruyne 59; Jesus 90+5
Manager: Pep Guardiola 6.5
West Ham (5-3-1-1)
Adrian 7.5; Zabaleta 6.5, Rice 7, Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 6.5, Masuaku 7; Fernandes 7, Obiang 6, Kouyate 6 (Sakho 43, 6); Lanzini 6 (Arnautovic 69, 6); Antonio 7 (Ayew 88)
Subs not used: Trott, Martinez, Quina, Johnson
Goals: Ogbonna 44
Booked: Rice 17; Adrian 90+4
Manager: David Moyes 6.5
MOM: Jesus
Referee: M Dean 7
De Bruyne covered a huge amount of ground in his efforts to salvage a victory for his City team-mates on Sunday.
For more game statistics, visit Sportsmail's exclusive Match Zone.
But after scoring a late winner at Huddersfield, and an even later one against Southampton, Guardiola's side did it again.
When you have the calibre of squad he does, that will always be a possibility.
There were 82 minutes on the clock when Kevin De Bruyne swung a pass languidly over the top of the West Ham defence as City camped on the edge of their opponents' box.
David Silva read the flight of it better than anyone and stretched out a leg to divert the ball just past the despairing Adrian.
Guardiola's celebration wasn't quite as manic as Wednesday night, but we are getting used to the sight of City celebrating late goals.
This time it was West Ham's turn to suffer the pain. They felt their performance deserved better than this.
It will have taken the wind out of Manchester United's sails again too. Three times in a week they have seen their hopes dashed of cutting City's lead at the top.
Instead, 24 hours after an epic win at Arsenal, United realised they will go into the Old Trafford derby next weekend still a distant eight points adrift of their neighbours.
Of all clubs, they know what these late goals can do to their rivals. 'I heard about the Fergie Time,' said Guardiola with a smile on Sunday.
Pablo Zabaleta (right) shakes hands with Silva ahead of his reunion with his former City team-mates
Angelo Ogbonna silenced the Etihad Stadium as he rose above the Manchester City defence to give West Ham the lead
Ogbonna celebrates his goal after it is met by jeers across the Manchester ground and high-fives Declan Rice
Ederson will have been frustrated after getting a hand to Ogbonna's header but only managing to push the ball into his net
It's a belief that grows. The fans believe, the players believe. Eventually, crucially, the opposition start to believe it too.
But it was hard to fault West Ham's performance here, even if David Moyes has now lost three of his first four games in charge.
They absorbed the pressure quite comfortably by getting men behind the ball with discipline and determination, and then exposed City's vulnerability on set-pieces.
Guardiola again complained about 'opponents who don't want to play' but what does he expect?
What the Spaniard perhaps failed to appreciate when he accosted Southampton's Nathan Redmond on his way off the pitch on Wednesday night, urging him to be more positive, is that teams have little choice but to play this way against City.
No doubt encouraged by the efforts of Huddersfield and Southampton, Moyes dug in as well and it so nearly paid off.
City were in panic-mode at half time as De Bruyne wipes his forehead after finding themselves in an unusual position
Manuel Lanzini give City an early scare but his effort on goal is palmed away by shot-stopper Ederson
Eliaquim Mangala and goalkeeper Ederson scramble to keep the ball away from the waiting Michail Antonio
West Ham goalkeeper Adrian makes the ball his as defender Declan Rice holds off Sergio Aguero
In a disjointed first half lacking fluency, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker and Leroy Sane were reduced to firing wildly from distance.
Another hopeful effort from Silva took a nick off Declan Rice and forced Adrian to make an excellent tip over.
It was one of many excellent saves by the Spaniard, who staked his claim for a regular starting place on a day when Joe Hart was ineligible to play against his parent club.
For their 27 per cent of possession, West Ham actually created the better chances for Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini before taking the lead in the 45th minute.
A short corner was played back to Aaron Cresswell who swung the ball into the box. Angelo Ogbonna reacted quicker than Nicolas Otamendi, rising in front of the City defender to meet it with a downward header that Ederson could only help on its way into the net.
Guardiola threw a water bottle to the floor in silent indignation but it's fair to say the City boss was not so quiet at half-time.
Cheikhou Kouyate consults a member of the Hammers medical staff as he is forced off in the first half with an injury
Kyle Walker registers a shot for Pep Guardiola's side as City go into the break trailing their visitors 1-0
Adrian spreads himself to deny Sergio Aguero's effort as the London side make it to half time with a lead to defend
On went Gabriel Jesus, who has not lost a club match in Brazil or England for more than a calendar year, and he helped set up an equaliser 12 minutes after the restart.
Adrian did well to beat away De Bruyne's freekick but the danger wasn't cleared as City came again down the right.
Sterling flicked the ball into the path of Jesus who dragged it to the edge of the six-yard box. Otamendi had stayed up and got there in front of Rice to turn home his fourth goal of the season even though the final touch came off the West Ham defender.
City's tails were up and Sane, in particular, sprang into life.
Adrian produced two saves from the young German and another from Jesus, but there was nothing he could do about Silva's winner.
West Ham were desperately close to an equaliser when Diafra Sakho fired wide in added time, but City had done it again.
Is there any stopping them?
Moyes and his assistant Stuart Pearce are vocal on the touchline as he pushes his side on in the hope of achieving his first win
Old pals Zabaleta and Aguero clash as the Argentine compatriots battle out a thriller at the Etihad Stadium
Hammers' star man Adrian rises to punch the ball away from one of many City attacks in the second half
Nicolas Otamendi celebrates his second-half goal as he gives the home side hope of making another late move for victory
City finally broke down their stubborn opponents as Otamendi was on hand to scramble the ball into the West Ham net
City stars celebrate their winning goal as they take a substantial Premier League lead to Manchester United next Sunday
The Hammers will take ample positives from their narrow defeat, but will be disheartened by missing out on a point
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5141327/Manchester-City-2-1-West-Ham-Silva-strikes-late.html#ixzz50J67nWF1
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
