Man City 1, West Ham 0
Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling light up the night for City
Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez cut frustrated figures on the sideline. Sane was starved of service and closed out of the game by West Ham while Mahrez was disappointingly one dimensional and wasted several chances despite providing City’s only shot on goal in the first half – a highly predictable cut inside and left footed shot that Fabianski saved easily.
The contrast came with the introduction of in-form City players Sterling and Sane who were given a rest following the Carabao Cup final. Sterling injected pace and movement into the City game while Bernardo ran with the ball and drew the foul that led to City’s penalty
Sergio Aguero and his ice cold penalty
Once Bernardo Silva had drawn the foul there no was doubt who was taking the penalty, and while Sergio Aguero has a preferred side to take his pens in, he wasn’t scared to try again in the same side with Lucasz Fabianski trying to second guess the Argentine by going the other way.
Bored Ederson keeps the scores level
West Ham offered little in the game to trouble Ederson.
The Brazilian goalkeeper had very little to do but was alert when a lapse in concentration by Oleksandr Zinchenko allowed Manuel Lanzini to thread a ball into Andy Carroll. A great reaction save by Ederson kept the scores level.
Ryan Fredericks takes the spotlight for West Ham
People may have been looking to City target Declan Rice as possible competition for Fernandinho next season but Ryan Fredericks at right back caught the eye.
The right back worked up and down the West Ham flank all night, cleared off the line from David Silva, kept on top of an under par Leroy Sane, and put in some good crosses at the business end of the pitch.
It took the introduction of Raheem Sterling to keep the full back occupied.
PLAYER RATINGS – Manchester City 1, West Ham 0
Ederson: 7. Quiet night until Andy Carroll’s header came his way after the break – then a superb save to keep the scores level.
Danilo: 7. Went upfield but shooting was wayward. Defended solidly when required.
Vincent Kompany: 7. Leading from the back again.
Nicolas Otamendi: 7. Little to trouble the General as City dealt with what little aerial threat West Ham could offer.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 8. More confident in defensive scenarios now, great going forward but missed a crucial crossfield pass by Manuel Lanzini to Andy Carroll whose golden chance was saved by Ederson.
Ilkay Gundogan: 6. Sitting deep in Fernandinho’s role. Not afraid to shoot but radar off target tonight. Wasted a golden goal opportunity by trying to pass on his wrong foot instead of shooting.
Kevin De Bruyne: 7. Looking under par by his standards. Did not link well with Mahrez. Improved a lot when Sterling and Bernardo Silva came on.
David Silva: 6. Hit the post with an early chance. Faded a little.
Riyad Mahrez: 5. Ran into dead ends and the West Ham offside trap. At least tested Lucasz Fabianski in the first half but his shot was predicable.
Leroy Sane: 5. Was well covered when City got the ball to him high on the left drifted out of the game in frustration with little service coming from the right.
Sergio Aguero: 8. Worked hard in the build-up, unselfish. Improved greatly with introduction of Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva – scored a nerveless penalty in the same side that he almost missed a crucial spot kick from in the Carabao Cup final.
Raheem Sterling (on for Riyad Mahrez 55): 7. Added extra pace and cutting edge. Forced saves from Fabianski. Missed a sitter laid on by Bernardo Silva after Aguero had dummied it.
Bernardo Silva (on for Leroy Sane 57): 7. Earned the penalty with direct running into the area from the right flank created lots of chances for City
Phil Foden (on for Sergio Aguero 85): Went to the left flank. No time to mark.
GOAL – Man City 1, West Ham 0
Man City 1, West Ham 0: 60. Sergio Aguero tucked in a penalty to the right side of Fabianski’s goal after Bernardo Silva was pushed in the area by Felipe Anderson.
MATCH STATS – Man City 1, West Ham 0
Man City: Ederson, Danilo, Kompany (C), Otamendi, Zinchenko, Gundogan, De Bruyne, David Silva, Mahrez (Sterling 55), Sane, Aguero (Foden 85)
Man City Subs not used: Muric, Walker, Mendy, Sandler
West Ham not used: Fabianski, Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Johnson (Zabaleta 63), Obiang, Rice, Antonio, Nasri (Lanzini 46), Anderson (Diangana 76), Carroll (C)
West Ham Subs not used: Adrian, Snodgrass, Noble, Hernandez
Booked: Fredericks 41 (foul on Leroy Sane), Antonio 87 (shove on De Bruyne)