Erling Haaland is now a member of the Premier League. Man City beat West Ham 2-0 in their season opener. The big summer signing from Borussia Dortmund scored both goals, including one from the penalty spot.
Pep Guardiola's team won easily in London, and ESPN's Mark Ogden has what people thought about it.
A quick response
Haaland's first game in the Premier League is a dream.
Erling Haaland is under a lot of pressure at Manchester City this season. After moving from Borussia Dortmund for £51 million, he had to make a big impact as soon as possible. In the end, scoring two goals on his first game in the Premier League wasn't a bad way to start out.
Even though Haaland's fee is probably a good deal in today's game, the 22-year-old still has to prove he is as good as his reputation says he is. This is where most of the pressure will come from. And since they didn't score and missed some easy chances in last week's loss to Liverpool in the Community Shield, failing to score against West Ham would have made people expect even more. But Haaland scored both goals as City started defending their title with a win, and their new star player showed that he will be a huge help to Pep Guardiola's team.
- ESPN+ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more (U.S.)
- ESPN+ lets you watch ESPN FC Daily (U.S. only)
If you don't have ESPN, Get in right away
Ilkay Gundogan saw him make a smart run behind the Hammers' defense, which led to a penalty kick. He scored his first goal from the spot. After moving quickly enough to beat Hammers substitute goalkeeper Alphonse Areola to the ball and earn a penalty, Haaland sent him the wrong way with a precise penalty that went into the corner of the net. His second goal, on the other hand, was a classic striker's goal that showed off his speed, movement, and calm ability to beat a keeper one-on-one. Kevin De Bruyne's pass through the middle of the defense set up Haaland, who was able to open up his body and beat Areola with a left-footed shot into the far corner to seal the win for City.
Haaland was brought in to help City win the big games and score goals whenever he wanted in the other games. It's safe to say that he's already doing what the job calls for.
A bad omen for the rest of the Premier League
Last year, Manchester City's first game of the season was a 1-0 loss to Tottenham in London. This year, they went back to London and started with a perfect win at West Ham, making their rivals worry about how to keep up with Pep Guardiola's team.
Last season's slow start didn't affect who won the title because City finished ahead of Liverpool on the last day of the season. However, Guardiola's team got off to a slow start, winning only four of their first seven games. But if how well they played against West Ham is a sign of what's to come, the teams behind them will have to run hard just to keep up.
The win at the London Stadium showed that there was no rust. Erling Haaland's two goals got the new player off to a good start, and he has made a team that already scored a lot more dangerous. Kevin De Bruyne was great, and Ruben Dias was a strong defender. There were times when City had more than 75% of the ball, and this was against a West Ham team that came close to finishing in the top six last season. City didn't have an easy start, but they made it look easy.
If they can beat West Ham so easily, the rest of the teams in the Premier League have no chance.
Rice will be a problem for West Ham until the deadline.
West Ham has already spent more than £100 million on new players this summer, but keeping Declan Rice has been their most important move so far, at least for now.
The 23-year-old was named club captain after Mark Noble retired. He had a great season for the Hammers, who made it to the semifinals of the Europa League, and he was again the key player for David Moyes' team against City. Rice is the perfect example of a midfielder who does everything. Even though it was very hot on the first weekend, he worked hard from box to box, winning tackles and making important interceptions.
But he is still a West Ham player, and there is still time for a bigger, wealthier club to make a move for the England international this month. Chelsea and Manchester United, in particular, have been fans of Rice for a long time and still need midfielders. With two years left on his contract, West Ham may have to get rid of Rice next summer if he doesn't sign a new deal. However, if a big offer comes in before the Aug. 31 transfer deadline, both West Ham and Rice might be tempted to make the move. Based on how he played against City, Rice would help United or Chelsea right away.
Who did the best and worst?
BEST: Ilkay Gundogan, Man City
Ilkay Gundogan always makes Guardiola's team of all-stars better, and the Germany midfielder ran the game for Guardiola at the London Stadium. In the first half, his pass to Haaland led to a penalty that gave City the lead. Haaland's run was smart, but only a player as smart as Gundogan could find the right pass to make it pay off.
Alphonse Areola of West Ham was the worst.
It's never easy for a goalkeeper to come into a game cold from the bench, so West Ham's Areola can at least blame his poor performance on the fact that he didn't prepare enough. But the former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper, who came on for the injured Lukasz Fabianski at minute 29, gave City the first goal just seven minutes after he came on. He ran off his line and dived carelessly into Haaland, giving City a penalty.
Also, Haaland beat him too easily for City's second goal, making it a bad day for the Hammers' No. 2.
