Stage was set for Di Canio but as ever Pep stole the show
STILL as shy and retiring as ever, West Ham’s former No.10 Paolo Di Canio turned tenor prior to kick-off here at the London Stadium.
Microphone in hand, he delivered a few words to the home fans before barrelling on to the pitch, with his chest as puffed out as ever, to lead them in a rousing rendition of Bubbles.
The Italian is clearly still very much the showman, and as warm-up acts go his was very well received.
But it was Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola – taking centre stage again after returning to the touchline for the first time since his back operation – and his men who stole the show and the points in what turned out to be an entertaining afternoon all round.
West Ham contributed heavily to a cracking game with James Ward-prowse (below), a man who genuinely is the shy and retiring type, giving them the lead with a header.
James Maddison might be proving to be a cracking signing up the road in Tottenham, but former Southampton man Ward-prowse is right up there with him as the best buy of the summer.
Nayef Aguerd performed admirably after being in Marrakech last week on national team duty as the Moroccan earthquake struck.
And Alphonse Areola made save after save after save in the Hammers goal.
But City are just relentless – they took everything their hosts could throw at them then came from behind for a convincing victory that could have been even more so, had Erling Haaland not had an off-day in front of goal.
He eventually got his goal, of course.
But he missed two sitters beforehand and saw a volley well saved by Areola.
It had taken efforts from Jeremy Doku, 40 seconds after the interval, and Bernardo Silva later in the half, to turn the screw on David Moyes’ men before Haaland eventually found the net.
What a good game this was. The only slight disappointment, really, was the predictability that City would win, even in those spells like the one before half-time when West Ham were on top.
Guardiola has created a juggernaut and it’s going to take a special team to stop them rolling to a fifth title in six years.
No wonder he was all smiles and raucous laughter at the final whistle as he shook hands with West Ham’s Vladimir Coufal.
Wins like these are the sort which put a spring in the step.
The contribution from Julian Alvarez in City’s No.10 shirt no doubt got the nod of approval from Di Canio looking down from the comfort of the posh seats.
The World Cup-winning Argentine was brilliant, and given a regular run of games tucked in behind Haaland he is only going to get more creative and, in front of goal, even more lethal.
He’s slotted in seamlessly to the spot left by Kevin De Bruyne’s injury and was a driving force behind most of what City did well.
And there was plenty of it.
He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet with a free-kick which smashed against a post with Areola well beaten, and the scoop-pass which released Silva for his goal was delicious.
Like Alvarez, Doku looks another gem of a player Guardiola has managed to get his hands on.
He’s thought by many to be the future of Belgian football, and his second-half display, and the goal as well, which came after a lovely little shoulder drop that moved him past Coufal, will have City fans licking their lips.
The worrying thing for their rivals is that City clearly have more gears to go through. It’s early days, but this was the kind of game that suggests the script for this season will have a familiar ending.