Haaland shines with brace as Man City thrash West Ham, Spurs crumble under pressure
Erling Haaland once again stole the spotlight, scoring twice in Manchester City’s commanding 4-1 victory over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Meanwhile, Newcastle’s win over Tottenham deepened Spurs’ struggles under Ange Postecoglou.
Pep Guardiola’s defending champions wasted no time asserting their dominance. Vladimir Coufal’s own goal in the 10th minute opened the scoring, courtesy of a dangerous cross from Savinho. Shortly before half-time, Savinho dazzled with a brilliant assist for Haaland, who outsmarted Max Kilman to head home City’s second goal.
The Haaland-Savinho connection continued in the second half, with the Norwegian striking again in the 55th minute to secure his brace. Phil Foden sealed the emphatic victory with a fourth goal, though City missed out on a clean sheet when Niclas Fuellkrug netted a consolation goal for West Ham.
West Ham’s woes continue, having now conceded nine goals in their last two matches following a heavy 5-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Newcastle’s 2-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium marked a fifth consecutive Premier League victory for Eddie Howe’s side. However, controversy marred the match, leaving Spurs’ manager Postecoglou fuming.
Tottenham took an early lead through Dominic Solanke, but Newcastle equalised minutes later with Antony Gordon’s superb strike. The turning point came when Joelinton intercepted a pass with his arm in the build-up to Gordon’s goal. VAR ruled the contact accidental, a decision that angered Postecoglou.
“I’ve never been this angry in my career,” said Postecoglou. “On a fair and even playing ground, we would have won that game.”
Newcastle’s Alexander Isak scored the decisive goal before half-time, pushing the Magpies to fifth place while Spurs dropped to a disappointing 12th.
Chelsea’s struggles continued with a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s late equaliser cancelled out Cole Palmer’s earlier strike, leaving Chelsea with just two points from their last four matches.
READ ALSO: Man Utd ‘Much Better’ than league table shows, says Liverpool’s Slot
Aston Villa secured a 2-1 win over Leicester, thanks to goals from Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey.
Brentford stunned Southampton with a 5-0 victory, while Bournemouth edged past Everton 1-0.
Arsenal face Brighton in the evening kick-off, while league leaders Liverpool take on Manchester United in Sunday’s marquee clash.
Eddie Howe defended the contentious VAR call, stating: “Joelinton’s arm was in a natural position, and the officials followed the rules.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca rued missed opportunities:
“We dominated possession but lacked the killer instinct to finish the game off.”
The weekend’s results reflect the unpredictable nature of the Premier League as the title race and relegation battles intensify.
Written by Sakinat Musa Abubakar, Editor at Neptune Prime
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va74ZvU2v1IqKByXoX3d
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com
