FA PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester City 3 West Ham 1HIS SIGNING was seen as a symbol of the club's ambitions, and the billboard of him emblazoned with the words "Welcome to Manchester" has become the most talked about artwork in this city outside of the Lowry. Now Carlos Tevez is showing why Manchester City were willing to pay such a huge amount of money for him.
Last night, with two goals in a comfortable win for Mark Hughes’s side, there were obvious signs he is flourishing now that he is getting what he craved above everything else and what was largely denied him at Manchester United last season: a regular run in the starting line-up.
In doing so, Tevez helped to ensure it was a difficult night for West Ham United, his former club, who have taken only four points from their first six games.
City have gone up two places to fourth, Tevez’s goals sandwiching one from Martin Petrov direct from a free-kick goal, the disparity between the sides so great that Carlton Cole’s equalising effort for West Ham constituted a genuine shock.
Mark Hughes could be forgiven, indeed, for feeling his side should have won by an even more handsome margin on a night when Roque Santa Cruz finally made his City debut, as an 81st minute substitute, and the fit-again Michael Johnson made his first appearance in over a year.
Remembering his manners, Tevez at least had the good grace to wave an apologetic hand in the direction of the West Ham supporters behind the goal. Tevez’s goals helped save West Ham from relegation three seasons ago and the Argentinian is remembered with affection at Upton Park.
By half-time he could conceivably have turned West Ham’s evening into an ordeal. One stylish turn and shot struck the stanchion behind the goal, Robert Green denied him when he was clean through and the easiest opportunity of the lot was blazed over the crossbar.
His first chance, though, was set up so elegantly by Martin Petrov it would have been almost impudent not to score. Running on to Gareth Barry’s flicked header, Petrov reached the byline anddrove the ball across the six-yard area for Tevez to stab it past Green.
It was almost bordering on the strange when West Ham, with their first real foray into Shay Given’s penalty area, equalised.
Alessandro Diamanti floated a long free-kick into the box and when Joleon Lescott’s header fell invitingly to Radoslav Kovac the midfielder lashed a right-foot volley towards goal. The ball spun to Carlton Cole, who adjusted his body superbly to score with a clever flick.
City re-established their lead on 32 minutes courtesy of Petrov’s free-kick, a rasping left-foot drive shimmering with the confidence of a player desperate to make his point to his manager.
GuardianService
MAN CITY: Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Bridge, Wright-Phillips (Santa Cruz 80), De Jong, Barry (Johnson 89), Petrov, Tevez, Bellamy.Subs Not Used: Taylor, Richards, Garrido, Sylvinho, Weiss.Booked: Bridge.Goals: Tevez 5, Petrov 32, Tevez 61.
WEST HAM:Green, Faubert, Da Costa, Tomkins, Ilunga, Diamanti, Kovac (Stanislas 71), Parker, Noble, Jimenez (Hines 71), Cole. Subs Not Used: Kurucz, Spector, Nouble, Payne, N'Gala. Booked: Diamanti.Goals: Cole 24.
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside).
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