Shaky Manchester City in Real Danger of Surrendering Premier League Title

UPTON PARK—ENGLAND

Manchester City were beaten 2-1 by West Ham United in a pulsating match at Upton Park to bring to an end a disastrous seven-day spell since their 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday.

A 2-2 draw in Moscow on Tuesday has left their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread, and they now find themselves five points behind Chelsea who have a game in hand. Jose Mourinho’s men have been given the perfect boost ahead of their trip to Manchester United tomorrow.

Too many City players went missing here, particularly in the first-half where the home side were first to almost everything. The Blues improved after the break, dominating possession and creating some clear-cut openings, but overall they lacked the kind of quality needed to break down a resistant West Ham team.

Sam Allardyce’s side have started this season brilliantly and this game was seen by many as a real acid test of their progress. They’ve been revitalised after a summer spending spree which has seen Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho bring pace and goals up front, and Alex Song, a loanee from Barcelona, add steel to the midfield.

And it was the Cameroonian who deservedly left the field with the Man of the Match-award, after a high-intensity performance overshadowed Yaya Toure and Fernando in the midfield battle.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Having been perilously close to the sack last season after losing heavily to City over two legs in the League Cup, Allardyce, many believe, only kept his job because David Sullivan and David Gold, the West Ham co-owners, failed to find a replacement they felt was suitable. It looks to have been a blessing. He’s reshaped the squad with some excellent signings, and perhaps only Chelsea, the early leaders, can claim to have had a better transfer window.

But City, who are in danger of repeating their last title defence—a meek surrender to city rivals United in 2012-13—must surely expect three points in matches like this if they are to become the first side since United in 2008-09 to defend their Premier League crown.

Gael Clichy’s form remains a concern, as does City’s ability to defend cohesively when put under severe pressure. Morgan Amalfitano opened the scoring after City were cut apart down their left, despite there being more than a hint of offside in the build up, and the home side could easily have scored more in what was a woeful first 45 minutes for the champions.

Pellegrini’s team improved markedly after the break. David Silva, so often the catalyst for City’s finer moments when his side have been struggling to assert themselves this season, began picking up the ball in dangerous areas and causing problems. Sergio Aguero hit the bar as City dominated proceedings but still the elusive equalising goal would not come.

The danger for City as the second-half wore on was their susceptibility to counter-attacks as they poured men forward, and they were undone on the break with 15 minutes left moments after Toure had hit the bar.

A swift West Ham move saw Sakho get on the end of an Aaron Cresswell cross, with goal-line technology confirming his effort had crossed the line before Joe Hart had scooped the ball away.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Silva hit back with a wonderful solo goal, drifting past four defenders before curling a superb shot into the bottom corner past the helpless Adrian, but it was too little too late, and City now find themselves in a difficult situation chasing Chelsea.

The hallmark of Mourinho’s title wins throughout his career has been his sides' ability to defend a lead once one has been established. Pellegrini now faces the prospect of having to overhaul an eight-point gap should Chelsea win at Old Trafford tomorrow. It’s a daunting prospect, even this early in the season.

And City face going into next week's derby with United minus the goalscoring talents of Aguero, whose nasty challenge on Mark Noble was caught on camera and is likely to land him hot water.

Afterwards, Pellegrini praised West Ham for their efforts, but suggested City were lacking their usual intensity. “You must give credit to West Ham before anything else because I think they played very well today,” the Chilean said.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

“In the first half, West Ham played with a high intensity and allowed us to move the ball round but made things difficult, but I thought they would tire after the break and that the game may open up for us.

“I thought we improved a lot in the last 30 minutes and had three or four really good chances to score but we didn't take them and in games like this, you have to make the most of the opportunities that come your way.

“We didn’t play with our usual intensity in the first half so we’ll look at that and analyse things later, but again, we must give credit to West Ham because they played very well.”

City now face a midweek home game with Newcastle in the League Cup, before welcoming United to the Etihad next weekend in a crucial league game. Room for error is now at an absolute premium.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.