5:15 PM: That, unfortunately, brings an end to our coverage this afternoon here in Stratford, where visitors Manchester City have defeated West Ham United by a 1-4 scoreline. Sane opened the scoring for Blue Moon before a Rice own-goal put them two ahead, Cresswell’s free-kick pulled one back for the Hammers, but further Sterling and Fernandinho goals sealed the deal for the away side.
The result means that the Irons are now sitting dangerously just above the relegation zone, while the Citizens continued their march to breaking all kinds of Premier League records in style, next up for them will be next Sunday’s home clash with Huddersfield Town where they will lift the Top-Flight trophy.
Whereas, the East Londoners return to action a day earlier, making the crucial trip to the King Power Stadium to go head-to-head with Leicester City, after that, they host the Red Devils in a rare Thursday night encounter here in East London. We hope to back Live Blogging for you then, bringing you that key matchup live and the season-ending meeting with Everton that follows it, four days later.
But, for now, I would like to thank you very much for tuning into our coverage and choosing us on what would turn out to be a nightmarish afternoon for Moyes’ men, especially those of you that have been with us for the full five hours. We hope that you can join us once again in the near future and do stay across all of our platforms for further match reaction from the West Ham Matters team. I’ve been your Host Reporter Luke Glanville live from the London Stadium, thank you and goodbye.
His Thoughts On The Relegation Battle And His Players’ Futures:
“There’s no decisions about anyone until after the season.”
“I was more nervous when I arrived here.”
On The Way The Game Panned Out And His Triple Substitution:
“I had made the decision before the goal.”
“Even if we had five subs, I don’t think it would have made much difference.”
“We didn’t defend as well as we have done against big teams this season.”
“They were far better than us.”
4:53 PM: Irons manager Moyes has swiftly followed his opposite number, live quotes to follow………..
On The City Loanee To West Ham Joe Hart:
“We are going to talk to the club and take the decision.”
“I think it was the toughest decision I ever made.”
More On Sterling:
“He understands better what we are trying to do.”
“Sometimes we judge him, but the amount of actions he creates, he is sometimes unstoppable.”
On The Hammers’ Goal:
“We could avoid the fantastic goal from Cresswell.”
On Sterling’s Penalty Appeal:
“Yes and it’s not diving.”
On The Possibility Of His Side Breaking Premier League Records:
“The numbers will be there and with one more victory, we win 96.”
“Every single game where we win three points, we are happy.”
“The target is the numbers.”
“First of all, we like to play football and that is the most important thing.”
On His Team’s Last Two Matches:
“That’s two games, nine goals, conceding very few.”
“It was like our last game against Swansea.”
4:40 PM: Citizens boss Guardiola has arrived here to speak to us, live quotes to follow………..
4:30 PM: While we wait for the two managers, who should be joining us soon, a quick glance at the Premier League table shows us that City are now 19 points clear at the top of the standings, while the Hammers stayed 15th, just three points above the bottom three, stay with us.
4:25 PM: We have swiftly arrived down here in the Press Conference Room where we are awaiting both managers, when they arrive, we will have live quotes for you.
4:15 PM: A mass of boos greet the full-time whistle here at London Stadium as the Sky Blues thrash the Hammers, more on the match later, stay with us for exclusive reaction from both managers in their post-match press conferences.
4:08 PM: West Ham United 1-4 Manchester City.
90+2: The ball ends up with Adrian who catches.
90+1: Up the other end, the Citizens can create a corner.
90+1: Masuaku gets forward and wins a free-kick, nothing can be created.
90: Three minutes will be added on at the end of this one.
90: De Bruyne’s cross is flicked over by Cresswell, little comes of the corner.
89: Arnautovic is there to nod the ball away and the visitors come again.
88: Toure’s strike is deflected over via the wall, corner-kick.
87: Cresswell is first to clear a cross from the far side, the visitors win a dangerous free-kick in the same move.
86: A City corner comes of nothing, the Irons try to break but can’t.
85: This game is limping over the finish line with five minutes left, 1-4 it remains.
84: Danilo looks to cross, his delivery is straight at Adrian.
83: More and more home fans are streaming out of London Stadium, it has been a nightmare day for them.
82: Sterling dances into the area, although his effort flies wide.
81: Rice rids Delph’s delivery but can’t set Hernandez away.
80: Ogbonna can clear and relieve the pressure for now.
79: Zabaleta clears a through-ball and the Citizens have a corner, the taking of it is delayed as youngster Nmecha replaces Jesus.
77: De Bruyne tries his luck, Adrian can catch.
77: As I type, we have some action, the visitors force through and Zabaleta clears off the line.
76: City are now happy to keep the ball for a large period, looking to see out this one.
74: The Hammers are now enjoying some of the ball, can they make the scoreline a little more respectable.
73: Blue Moon float a cross in, Jesus can’t beat Adrian from it.
72: Rice works hard once again to stop De Bruyne on the far side.
71: Toure, once a West Ham target, replaces Gundogan for the visitors.
70: Arnautovic almost carves a way in, however, Ederson is there before him in the box.
68: Despite the substitutions, the home side now look to be trying to protect only being three goals down, City are on top.
67: Mario delivers from the right, an easy catch for Ederson.
65: The Hammers follow that with three changes, Masuaku, Mario and Hernandez replace Evra, Fernandes and Lanzini.
64: Sane lays it off for City skipper Fernandinho and he finishes cooly for a three-goal advantage for the Citizens.
64: Goal: West Ham United 1-4 Manchester City.
64: Sterling is in behind again, once more, he’s offside.
63: Rice stops a City attack, it has been a hard afternoon for him but he has kept at it.
62: What a save! Sterling is played clean through and Adrian denies him, Kouyate heads a Cresswell cross over up the other end.
61: The home side nearly shoots themselves in the foot by giving up the ball to Gundogan, he can only shoot wide, Danilo on for Walker for the away side.
60: The sets of supporters exchange chants to my right, a very impressive atmosphere this afternoon.
59: Sterling is played in again and picks out De Bruyne this time, his shot hits the stanchion and the City fans think it’s in.
58: At the other end, Sterling goes tumbling in the box after Cresswell’s tackle but the call is West Ham free-kick.
57: Evra gets forward for the hosts and looks to set Arnautovic away, it is blocked.
55: The Citizens are now back on top as they search for a fourth, the Premier League goals record will be in their minds here.
54: The game has died down after the Manchester club’s third, they were right up against it before half-time.
53: Jesus is the man with it for City and that surely ends any hope of a Hammers fightback, he finishes past Adrian from close-range after Sterling’s assist.
53: Goal! West Ham United 1-3 Manchester City.
51: Gundogan gets in on the right for City but Ogbonna can block, the first real attack of this second period.
50: We were held up on our way back to the Press Box here but can report that there has been no change of score early in this second period and a quiet start to the second 45 minutes.
3:24 PM: A tasty half-time pie in the Press Lounge and we are back to bring you this second half live here at London Stadium where the Sky Blues lead the Hammers 1-2, will they hold on or can the Irions fight back?
3:05 PM: Half-time: West Ham United 1-2 Manchester City.
45+3: It’s floated in and cleared, there goes the whistle.
45+2: The Irons have another close free-kick very late in this first 45, can they level before the break?
45+2: Creswell is found long but the flag is up once again.
45+1: Adrian saves well to deny Sterling at his near post.
45: Four minutes have been added on at the end of this half.
44: City are looking to slow this to slow this down now, I don’t blame them.
43: The hosts are now awake and almost have another free-kick right away, the referee says no.
42: Cresswell steps up and smashes the free-kick into the top corner, what a strike, the Hammers are back in the game.
42: GOAL! West Ham United 1-2 Manchester City.
40: Gaps are starting to open for the home side, Fernandes’ work wins a free-kick on the edge, replays show it could have been a penalty.
39: A moment of anguish for the home fans as Arnautovic steals the ball off Ederson and taps in, a foul is given despite cheers.
38: The free-kick is knocked long and Ogbonna heads back to Rice, the offside flag is up on the near side.
37: The breaking Lanzini is fouled, that looked dangerous and Otamendi is rightly booked.
36: Fernandes looks for Arnautovic long, Ederson heads it away outside his area.
35: A Rice mistake allows City in and they just can’t finish, a let off for the Hammers as good Adrian work pushes it away for a corner.
34: It is followed by more, a dangerous cross is blocked.
33: Arnautovic nearly gets to a long ball in the freezing temperatures, rare encouragement for the hosts.
32: Sane dances into the box, this time he is denied and the Hammers come away.
31: The Senegal skipper is finally back on his feet and hobbles off, no substitute is being readied.
29: Kouyate is down here for the Irons after a failed attack, this looks worrying.
28: The visitors nearly have a third, but this time De Bruyne can neither shoot nor cross from the box’s edge.
27: De Bruyne fizzes in a cross from the right which eas created by a quick City attack, Rice can do very little about it hitting him and going in.
27: Goal! West Ham United 0-2 Manchester City.
26: The East Londoners launch a rare break, it is stopped well, however.
25: City now have the ball again and can command the play in the final third.
24: Arnautovic looks to chase a through-ball, though he is held and free-kick is the signal, the Irons can create nothing from it.
22: De Bruyne threatens twice his shot and cross are both blocked by Ogbonna, all City at the moment.
21: Guardiola’s men look for Sane but an impressive Zabaleta nick takes it away from him as Fernandinho smashes over in the aftermath.
20: City come again straight away and it falls to Sterling, he fires well wide from the centre of the box.
19: Jesus races clear for the visitors, but he is stopped in his tracks, strong defending.
17: Cresswell’s cross is cleared and Rice receives a standing ovation for stopping the following break.
16: Big chance for the Hammers as Ederson parries from Zabaleta, they now have a free-kick.
15: Then, City break but it comes of nothing.
15: The hosts have tried to get back into this one since the goal, but they are crowded out on the edge of Blue Moon’s area.
13: A routine Sane shot is deflected off the head of Evra, wrongfooting Adrian and diverting the ball in, the champions take the lead.
13: Goal! West Ham United 0-1 Manchester City.
12: City deliver the game’s first corner, the Hammers deal with it.
11: Olays roar around as referee Neil Swarbrick goes to deck, not the most entertaining affair so far, 0-0.
10: Excellent work from Kouyate stops City’s advance.
9: Walker flashes a cross in after a silky Blue Moon move, somehow it goes all the way through.
8: Noble is pulled up for a foul on De Bruyne, City free-kick.
7: Fernandes thwarts a City attack with a superb challenge, City break up the counter-attack.
5: The quality of the away side is clear to see, but I almost curse them as Arnautovic gets in but the flag is up.
4: The hosts get forward for the first time, bringing up a cheer from the home support.
3: The Citizens have dominated the ball early on, 0-0 it remains.
2: an early attack from the visitors ends up with Adrian claiming easily.
1: City are quickly into their stride, it could be a long afternoon for the home side.
2:15 PM: The Hammers get the game underway here at London Stadium and we are off!
2:12 PM: The two teams have walked out to an electric chorus of “Bubbles” here and kick-off is almost upon us, stay right where you are for live text commentary.
2:05 PM: Both sides have now gone back to their dressing rooms for their last-minute preparations and it is almost that time here at London Stadium, there is an excellent atmosphere inside this arena already.
2:00 PM: There will be plenty for the travelling City supporters to boo this afternoon as two ex-Red Devils are in the home squad in the form of Evra and Hernandez, they are making their feelings pretty clear early on.
1:55 PM: Now that a mere 15 minutes remain until kick-off here in East London, head over to @WestHamMatters_ on Twitter to vote in our late poll on the outcome of today’s match.
1:50 PM: Table view: it’s now time to take a look at what this afternoon’s result could mean for the Premier League standings.
With an unlikely victory, Moyes’ Hammers will move up a place to 14th in the table and restore a six-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone, while Guardiola’s Blue Moon have the opportunity to go 19 points clear of Manchester United in second place, having already secured the title, the Red Devils are in action against the Gunners later today.
1:45 PM: Just 30 minutes remain until we get underway here at London Stadium, home favorite Arnautovic will go in search of his 11th league goal of the season today after he picked up the Hammer of the Year Award in midweek, will he cause a normally resolute City defence any problems?
1:40 PM: Both sets of players have now taken to the field to start their warm-up routines, and they will have to be lively in the freezing temperatures and persistent wind.
1:35 PM: With team news now out of the way, a chilly London Stadium is now starting to fill up nicely and the atmosphere is building, all is set for a special afternoon of football here in Stratford.
1:30 PM: Away manager Guardiola has decided on four alterations to his side from their thrashing of Swansea City also last Sunday, Danilo, Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Bernardo Silva are all departing from the team, Walker, Otamendi, Fernandinho and Sane take their places.
1:25 PM: Here is today’s full teamsheet, including how today’s visitors are lining up, strong from the Citizens.
1:20 PM: That’s three changes made by Moyes from last Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, the inevitable Adrian in for Hart is the first, after that veteran Evra replaces Masuaku and Lanzini is back in for Mario, making his full comeback from injury, full teamsheet and the away side’s line-up to follow.
1:15 PM: West Ham United starting Xl to face Manchester City: Adrian (GK), Zabaleta, Ogbonna, Rice, Cresswell, Evra, Noble (C), Kouyate, Fernandes, Lanzini, Arnautovic.
Substitutes: Trott (GK), Masuaku, Cullen, Mario, Hugill, Carroll, Hernandez.
1:05 PM: While we wait, to get you in the mood, let’s check out some match statistics below.
- Manchester City have scored nine goals without conceding in their two trips to London Stadium so far, winning 0-5 and 0-4 in the Emirates FA Cup and Premier League respectively last season.
- The last time West Ham United avoided defeat against the Sky Blues came during the 2015/2016 season, a 2-2 draw at the Boleyn Ground.
- The Hammers have lost just two home matches since David Moyes took over from Slaven Bilic last November, Newcastle United and Burnley.
- Three points for the visitors this afternoon would edge them closer to breaking such records as most Premier League points and most Premier League goals in a single season.
- Blue Moon have been victorious in four of the last five meetings of these two sides, their most recent victory coming in the last clash in December 2017.
1:00 PM: We now have just 15 more minutes to wait until team news here at London Stadium, how will Moyes and Guardiola set our their starting Xls? Find out first right here with us.
12:55 PM: The stunning but gloomy London Stadium scene is set for this afternoon’s action, it is freezing up here in the Press Box, winter has returned in East London.
12:45 PM: As promised earlier, I have managed to grab a quick word with and score prediction off an ex-Hammer here in the Press Lounge, none other than club great Stuart Slater, he told me that he is hoping that the Irons can scrape a draw.
Stuart Slater: Draw.
Here is what I reckon about the clash: Luke Glanville: West Ham United 2-2 Manchester City.
12:40 PM: Hammers goalkeeper Adrian San-Miguel is the cover star of today’s Programme, he will start in goal for the hosts this afternoon in the absence of Joe Hart, who is ineligible to face his parent club.
12:35 PM: So, now that food matters have been attended to, we can start turning our attention to the real reason we are all here at London Stadium today, the match, to get you up to speed, why not check out my Match Preview? Simply click on the link.
12:30 PM: And an equally as lovely sticky toffee pudding to finish, a wonderful appetiser to this afternoon’s footballing main course.
12:25 PM: A delicious full English breakfast here in the London Stadium Press Lounge pre-game, delightful.
12:20 PM: Here is what this afternoon’s Match Accreditation looks like, our usual B1 spot in the Press Box from which I will bring you live text commentary a little later today.
12:15 PM: Good afternoon and welcome to the first ever West Ham Matters Live Blog from a chilly London Stadium where, today, we will be bringing you live and exclusive build-up, text commentary and reaction from the crucial Premier League clash between David Moyes’ relegation-threatened West Ham United and Pep Guardiola’s champions Manchester City. I’m your Host Reporter Luke Glanville and firstly, I would like to thank you very much for joining for joining us, you can follow the site on Twitter @WestHamMatters_ and you can find myself @Glanville_Luke.
What an afternoon of football we have ahead of us on this April day as the Hammers and the newly-crowned title-winning Citizens go head-to-head with kick-off at 2:15 PM BST, that’s around two hours from now. Prior to that, we will bring you first word of team news which we are expected to have for you at approximately 1:15 PM, but be sure to stick with us between now and then as we will have plenty of exclusive build-up for you, including some score predictions from the ex-players and Journalistic personalities that surround us here in the Press Lounge, don’t go anywhere.
