Table toppers, Manchester City saw went down to the resilient West Ham, losing by 2 goals to 1 at home.
City was dealt a blow before a ball was even kicked. David Silva, its inspirational and inventive little Spaniard, was injured in the warmup and Jesus Navas had to be drafted in as a late replacement.
Six minutes in, the Hammers scored the first Premier League goal against the Citizens in 572 minutes.
Victor Moses, on loan from City’s title rival Chelsea, tried his luck from just outside the box and beat Joe Hart at his near post. The shot was powerful and accurate, but the England number one will be disappointed not to have kept it out.
West Ham doubled its advantage just after the half-hour mark from a corner. There were questions over whether Aleksandar Kolarov successfully cleared the ball for a throw-in before it went behind, but Diafra Sakho didn’t mind.
The Senegalese capitalised on City’s inability to clear from a corner, latching onto a loose ball and forcing it over the line.
Things looked drab for the hosts until first-half stoppage time. Sergio Aguero flicked the ball into the path of Kevin De Bruyne, making his first start for the club, and the Belgian arrowed a neat finish into the bottom corner from just over 20 yards out.
The £54-million man was City’s standout performer in the first 45 minutes, while its defending was reminiscent of the haphazard way it conducted things at the back for much of last term.
West Ham was under a barrage of pressure for the final 45 minutes, but a combination of stout defending and great goalkeeping from Adrian, who returned to the lineup following suspension, kept the floods of City attacks at bay.
The home side now sweats on the injury to Silva. Not only is it unknown how long City will be without its magician, but his absence was felt immediately Saturday. His replacement, Navas, operated well down the right flank but seldom provided anything resembling a decent end product.
The day belonged to the battling West Ham though, whose work-rate was phenomenal. The East London outfit moves up the table to second, three points behind City.
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