West Ham United’s hopes of a comeback against Manchester City were dismissed at half-time by former French international Mikael Silvestre during his analysis on beIN Sports on 31 August.
As the Hammers trailed 2-1, Silvestre made it clear that he saw little chance of a turnaround, and his prediction proved accurate when Erling Haaland completed his hat-trick to secure a 3-1 victory for City.
During the half-time discussion with Richard Keys, Silvestre was asked if he believed West Ham could stage a comeback.
Keys posed the question: “Is there anybody here that thinks West Ham can win this match?”
Silvestre’s response was blunt and to the point: “Are you joking?”
Silvestre went on to explain his reasoning, pointing out that West Ham’s equaliser had come from an own goal rather than any sustained pressure on City.
He added, “They needed an own goal to come back into the game. They had that one chance towards the end with Mohammed Kudus – but City have 90 per cent of the control.”
Despite a spirited start from West Ham, the match quickly fell under City’s control, with Haaland and his teammates dictating the flow of play. Silvestre’s assessment that City held “90 per cent” of the control was not far off the mark.
While Julen Lopetegui’s side were not entirely outclassed in the first half, Lucas Paquetá’s costly giveaway, which led directly to City’s opening goal, foreshadowed what was to come.
Jarrod Bowen’s run and cross from the right resulted in an own goal that temporarily brought West Ham level, but Haaland’s clinical finishing on either side of the break extinguished any hopes of an upset.
Mohammed Kudus did offer a glimmer of hope late on, striking the woodwork on a counter-attack, but that was as close as the Hammers came to salvaging something from the match.
The defeat leaves West Ham heading into the international break with two losses on either side of a win at Crystal Palace. As they regroup during the break, it remains to be seen how Lopetegui’s side will respond in their next Premier League fixture.
The Hammers have shown flashes of potential but will need to find more consistency if they are to climb the table in the coming weeks.