Manchester City continued their unblemished start to the 2023-24 Premier League campaign with a captivating 3-1 victory over West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Strikes from Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland - who had missed a glut of earlier chances - rendered James Ward-Prowse's opener inconsequential upon Pep Guardiola's return to the dugout, but David Moyes's side did themselves proud against the treble winners before being unable to quell the second-half onslaught.
While the contest at the London Stadium could have been billed as a top-of-the-table clash, Man City took the game by the scruff of the neck straight away, and West Ham were counting their lucky stars to survive a frenzied eighth minute, in which Guardiola's men peppered the Hammers' goal with shots from a corner.
Rodri was denied on three separate occasions by Alphonse Areola and Tomas Soucek, while Haaland and Ruben Dias appeared to be thwarted as well, as West Ham inexplicably came out with their clean sheet intact.
The champions' pressure was unrelenting, but Haaland spurned a brilliant chance from close range in the 15th minute, firing wide from a Josko Gvardiol ball to the back stick - a collector's item for those in attendance.
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Having emerged unscathed from City's early wave of attacks, West Ham began to ask more questions of Guardiola's backline, and the Europa Conference League champions took a shock lead with 36 minutes gone.
So often the architect, this time it was Ward-Prowse's turn to get on the end of a pinpoint cross, as Vladimir Coufal charged down the right before picking out the Englishman to find the bottom corner with a diving header from just outside the six-yard box.
Haaland could have done with taking a leaf out of Ward-Prowse's book, as the off-colour Norwegian squandered another magnificent opportunity in the 43rd minute, failing to get a clean connection on the ball from Doku's cross and seeing his scuffed shot cleared off the line by Nayef Aguerd.
However, Guardiola's half-time team talk clearly went down a treat, as within the first minute of the second half, Doku picked up the ball on the left flank, weaved his way into the box and curled a crisp strike into the far corner to bring City level.
Lady luck was not on the strikers' side, though, as Julian Alvarez struck the inside of the post with a 53rd-minute free kick just before the misfiring Haaland had a volley parried away by Areola.
The Frenchman's opposite number Ederson was being kept equally busy during a frenzied end-to-end period, denying Kurt Zouma's header with a terrific full-length save in the 61st minute.
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West Ham's besieged backline could only hold out for so long, though, and with 76 minutes gone, Alvarez lifted a delicate ball over a sea of Clarets shirts for Silva, who got the better of Aguerd and managed to toe-poke the ball over Areola's shoulder and into the side of the net.
Haaland - desperate for a goal of his own - was charging in, but the Scandinavian, who may have been in an offside position, wisely decided to let Silva's attempt trickle over the line.
Haaland was denied once more by Areola in the 82nd minute, but the striker finally got one right just four moments later, calmly controlling Silva's ball before unleashing an unstoppable effort into the far corner from 12 yards.
The Citizens have now regained top spot ahead of Tuesday's Champions League opener with Red Star Belgrade, while West Ham begin their own continental campaign on Thursday, hosting Serbia's Backa Topola in the Europa League group stage.
Ben Knapton
