Erling Haaland's late hat-trick gives Manchester City victory at West Ham | Premier League

Even on those rare occasions when it seems they may be at risk of making a mistake, Manchester City There is always strength to be drawn from the possibility of Erling Haaland producing the unchallengeable ruthlessness that made the difference in this victory over an insubordinate West Ham.

Be afraid. After looking out of sorts at the end of last season, Haaland is back to his best. Another hat-trick, which followed last week's thrashing of Ipswich, took the striker to seven goals in his first three games. It allowed City, who sometimes played dangerously, to maintain their perfect start on a night when West Ham showed that Julen Lopetegui's attempts to play a more expansive style will pay off in the long run.

While it was not a perfect performance from City, with Jack Grealish looking rejuvenated on the left wing, it was enough to put them two points clear of Arsenal. Pep Guardiola will be demanding improvements off the ball, although he also knows his side could have won by a bigger margin.

The general consensus is that the best way to play City is to deny them space and attack them with quick counter-attacks. So it was interesting to see West Ham veer in the opposite direction from the opening whistle, pleasing the neutrals with an enthusiastic approach that saw them contribute to the entertainment levels both through their attacking play and their curious reluctance to let anyone mark Haaland.

Six minutes later, with City relieved not to be behind after Ederson saved Jarrod Bowen's shot and Josko Gvardiol denied Michail Antonio a touch, there was a warning when Haaland, unopposed, headed over from close range after Bernardo Silva and Grealish had opened up a path for West Ham down the left.

Four minutes later, the visitors took the lead as their creative talents were left too free. West Ham had survived another Kevin De Bruyne raid when Lucas Paquetá lost control of Emerson Palmieri’s powerful pass just outside the area, allowing Silva to come through and let Haaland through, who fired a defiant finish past Alphonse Areola.

Rising to the occasion Arsenal draw against Brighton Earlier in the day, City spent the next few minutes threatening to wipe out any memory of West Ham. Grealish, starting for the first time since April and in high spirits following his England call-up, came close to scoring. Areola saved an audacious De Bruyne effort, who would soon see another shot crash off the bar.

Relieved to be 1-0 down, West Ham responded out of the blue. Bowen burst down the right, outpaced Gvardiol and sent in a low cross that was unlikely to lead to anything until Rúben Dias deflected the ball into his own net.

There was no striker behind Dias, so perhaps City fell asleep. In reality, they were a level above in every respect. Mateo Kovacic kept threading passes between West Ham's midfield pivots, Edson Alvarez and Guido Rodriguez, who didn't know how to handle the constant movement around them.

The second goal arrived on time. Grealish drove clear of Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the half-hour mark, before a neat interchange between Silva, Kovacic and Rico Lewis left Haaland with space on the right flank. Emerson was slow to react and the striker fired a rocket past Areola.

Somehow, West Ham held firm, defending bravely enough to give themselves a chance. Mohammed Kudus could have scored before the break and the winger looked certain to equalise in the 52nd minute, but his shot hit the post after receiving a brilliant pass from Bowen.

There was a change of mood, a sense that West Ham had renewed their faith. Wan-Bissaka attacked strongly from right-back and City found themselves under sustained aerial pressure. Ederson flew out of his area to head a ball in and Bowen had a shot blocked. Grealish shone again, laying off a pass for Silva to fire straight at Lukasz Fabianski, who had replaced the injured Areola at half-time.

Guardiola, needing more control, brought on Ilkay Gündogan for Jérémy Doku and Matheus Nunes for Grealish. West Ham responded with Niclas Füllkrug and Tomas Soucek, who missed a good chance wide.

Against lesser opponents, West Ham could have come away with more, but a second successive home league defeat was easier to accept given it came thanks to City's goal-scoring machine.

The game ended when Nunes broke through a tired midfield and set up Haaland to beat Fabianski.