LONDON
Manchester City made a good start to defend their Premier League title when Raheem Sterling’s hat-trick inspired the demolition of West Ham 5-0 on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s side are trying to become the second club in the Premier League era to win three titles in a row.
And after Liverpool laid the starting marker with a 4-1 win against Norwich in the opening match of the season on Friday, the champions responded with their own performances at the London Stadium.
Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring to return Guardiola’s confidence after the City manager chose him instead of club top scorer Sergio Aguero.
Then Sterling took over, mimicking the dynamic form of last season with two classy finishing touches.
Substitute Aguero bagged City’s fourth goal with a penalty after his first attempt from the penalty spot was saved, only for VAR to call for a repeat after Lukasz Fabianski left his line too quickly.
Sterling wrapped up his treble at the last moment when City showed they had no intention of giving European champions Liverpool an early chance, who were only one point behind them last season.
Guardiola had admitted before kick-off that City might have to do better than last season to fend off Liverpool.
This is a perfect start because City won nine wins on the opening day in a row.
City have won all four of their previous visits to the London Stadium with an aggregate score of 17-1, scoring at least four goals in each match, and once again they ran riots at the cost of West Ham.
Guardiola gave the start of the first Premier League for signing club record Rodri and the Spanish midfielder showed signs of nervousness when he allowed Manuel Lanzini to rob him in his own penalty area.
But it is a rare step from the impressive new City boy and champions are on their way.
Riyad Mahrez, surprisingly chosen in front of Bernardo Silva, produced City’s first threatening moment when the Algerian winger cut in from the right wing to take a long-range shot which Fabianski pushed over.
When City’s opening goal came in the 25th minute, it was the kind of sharp attack that had made so many opponents helpless over the past two years.
Mahrez put the perfect pass into Kyle Walker and the right-back drove away from Aaron Cresswell.
Walker grabbed a cross which deflected West Ham defender Issa Diop into Jesus’ path and he instinctively turned the ball past Fabianski from close range.
Jesus should have doubled City’s lead, but he immediately shot Fabianski in the first half.
There is no need for City to regret the loss when they attack six minutes after the break.
Kevin De Bruyne is a catalyst, the Belgian midfielder showed what City forgot during last season’s sacking when he left several West Ham players behind him before making an accurate pass that set Sterling’s clinical settlement.
City were denied a third goal when Jesus’s knock from a Sterling cross became the first goal disallowed by VAR in the Premier League because of a very marginal offside against the English winger.
A brilliant double save from Ederson denied Javier Hernandez and Manuel Lanzini before Sterling made the result doubtful in the 75th minute.
Mahrez cut the pass to Sterling and he switched to Fabianski chips, with City this time able to celebrate after another VAR review for being offside.
VAR is being used in the Premier League for the first time this season and its constant interruptions helped City in the 86th minute.
Mahrez won a penalty after being fouled by Diop, but Aguero’s early kick was saved by Fabianski before the VAR called for a retake of the Argentine