Glass half empty for Pep Guardiola even as Manchester City return to winning ways

City secure 4-1 win over West Ham as Haaland helps rediscover scoring touch

Erling Haaland is greeted by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. Getty Images

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola welcomed his team's 4-1 victory over West Ham but felt his team are still far from their best.

Erling Haaland struck twice as the champions rediscovered their goalscoring touch at the Etihad Stadium, securing back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since October.

It was a welcome turn of events for City after they had claimed only their second win in 14 games in all competitions at Leicester last week. However, Guardiola does not believe all the problems have been resolved just yet.

"We saw in many years our level and we are not at our level. We won, I am so happy and it helps us," the Spaniard said.

"But you judge results, (when) our performance was not good.

"I'm so happy for the guys, and the work ethic, but in the first minutes deserved to be 0-1, 0-2 and we were lucky with the first goal.

"We are a strong team (when) we run a lot and have the composure, but now we don't have it.

"I'm very pleased for the result but you cannot ask me if the old City is back. If you saw the game, we are not. You saw many times during the years what we have done with the opponents."

While the 2-0 win at Leicester last weekend was unconvincing, there were better signs against West Ham – at least in attack with Haaland looking sharp. The Norwegian striker headed in Savinho's cross to make it 2-0 in the 42nd minute and chipped the goalkeeper for 3-0 in the 55th after running onto another pass from Savinho.

Either side, there was an own-goal and a strike from Phil Foden before Niclas Fullkrug pulled one back for West Ham.

“We are still not like we were, for different reasons,” Guardiola added. "The result will help. We struggle but it is a release.”

Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he had never seen anything like Brighton's controversial penalty in their 1-1 draw on Saturday that dealt another blow to the Gunners' Premier League title challenge.

Runaway leaders Liverpool hold a five point advantage over second-placed Arsenal and have two games in hand to come, starting with Sunday's clash against struggling Manchester United at Anfield.

Shorn of many of their most potent attacking weapons, Arteta's men led at half-time thanks to 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri's strike.

But two vital points slipped away when William Saliba was harshly punished for a clash of heads with Joao Pedro and the Brazilian slotted home the resulting spot-kick.

"We are really disappointed with the decision that leads to the goal because I have never seen something like this in my life," said Arteta. "He (Saliba) touches the ball as well."

With talisman Bukayo Saka out for the next two months with a hamstring injury, Arsenal's attacking options were further depleted by illness.

Kai Havertz failed to even make the matchday squad for the second consecutive game, while captain Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli were only fit enough for appearances as second-half substitutes.