Manchester City v West Ham player ratings: Alvarez 6, Haaland 8; Paqueta 7, Bowen 6

Haaland breaks Premier League goalscoring record as Guardiola's side win 3-0 and return to top of table

Man City: Stefan Ortega 7: German keeper made his Premier League debut with Ederson rested, and called into action to block Bowen cross-shot from tight angle just before half-hour mark. Saved from Paqueta late in game where he was spectator for most of it. Reuters

Kyle Walker 7: Solid night’s work from right-back who did not put foot wrong defensively and pushed forward to support City’s attacks when he could. EPA

Ruben Dias 7: Lucky not to be booked in opening 15 minutes for wiping out Antonio but enjoyed quiet night at office with West Ham not exactly throwing players forward in attack. Getty

Nathan Ake 8: Back in team after injury and largely untroubled defensively with West Ham’s attacking efforts limited to say the least. Headed home first Premier League goal in a year to open scoring. Getty

John Stones 8: In superb form for City at moment. A cool and calm presence throughout. Headed decent chance wide of target in 35th minute. Scored two goals last month but skewed one effort badly wide in second half much to everyone’s amusement. Getty

Rodri 7: Incredibly unlucky not to open scoring when his low shot hit the post then rolled across face of goal somehow not finding the back of the net in the first half. EPA

Riyad Mahrez 7: Had first-time shot well saved by Fabianski in 10th minute. Perfect curling ball into box from free-kick to set-up Ake goal. Getty

Bernardo Silva 7: Quiet in first half and struggled to make an impact as West Ham defended deep and very well. None of his trademark defence-splitting runs or passes but still neat and tidy performance. AFP

Jack Grealish 8: Picked out Mahrez with cutback for Algerian’s early chance. Struck outside of Fabianski’s near post with shot of his own. Pulled shot wide soon after Ake goal when teammates were better placed. Supplied through-ball for Haaland’s record-breaking finish. Reuters

Julian Alvarez 6: One weak strike very early in game that failed to test the keeper was as close as he came to scoring until 68th minute when his curling effort was comfortably saved. EPA

Erling Haaland 8: Headed difficult chance wide from tight angle in first half. Rolled pass to Rodri before midfielder hit post. Scored goal No 35 this season to break Premier League goalscoring record with dinked finish in 70th minute. Given guard of honour by teammates at end. Reuters

SUBS: Phil Foden (On for Alcaraz 76’) N/A. Can claim third goal despite wicked deflection off Emerson and saw another shot saved. AFP

Manuel Akanji (On for Ake 76) N/A. PA

Kalvin Phillips (On for Rodri 90+1’) N/A. EPA

WEST HAM RATINGS: Lukasz Fabianski 7: Good save from low Mahrez strike in opening 10 minutes. No chance with Ake goal, lobbed by Haaland for second, wrong-footed by deflection for third. Reuters

Vladimir Coufal 6: All of City’s attack came down his right flank in first half and Grealish’s direct running caused Czech defender a few problems but he stuck to his task well until limping off injured after break. Getty

Thilo Kehrer 7: One of three centre-halves as West Ham attempted to restrict Haaland’s space. Immaculate sliding challenge on the Norwegian in second half had City fans calling for penalty for but rightly ignored. Getty

Angelo Ogbonna 6: In for the injured Kurt Zouma and was a man mountain in first half, and seemed to be on the end of every cross City put into the middle. Then blotted copybook by losing Ake for City’s opener. Played Haaland onside for second. Reuters

Aaron Cresswell 7: Back in team and captain for night, made vital interception on Alvarez cross in 15th minute with Haaland poised in middle. Helped West Ham hold out for 50 minutes until Ake’s goal and a further 20 until Haaland inevitably scored. Getty

Emerson 7: Italian left-back had surprisingly quiet opening half as all City’s pressure came down the opposite flank. Unlucky to deflect Foden shot into the net for third City goal and did well up against Mahrez. PA

Flynn Downes 7: Did great job in opening 45 minutes pressurising City and screening in front of his defence. But was booked at start of second half for blatant foul on Grealish and resulting free-kick headed home by Ake. PA

Lucas Paqueta 7: Brazilian produced disciplined performance in midfield alongside Downes. One tremendous moment of skill in second half to leave a City player for dead. Saw late strike on goal saved. Getty

Pablo Fornals 6: One wild volley just before half-time went so high looked like it might sail out of the Etihad. Saw keeper off his line with 10 minutes to go but got attempt at long-range effort embarrassingly wrong. Finishing not great but workrate exemplary. Getty

Jarrod Bowen 6: Caught Ake napping with one run at goal from a quick throw-in but his cross blocked at point-blank range by keeper. Little chance to test City’s defence as West Ham rarely threw numbers forward. AP

Michail Antonio 6: Striker basically played in midfield for large spells with West Ham defending so deep. Certainly put in a shift without ever threatening the City goal. PA

SUBS: Ben Johnson (On for Coufal 62’) 6: Slotted straight in at right-back without any probems. Reuters

Danny Ings (On for Antonio 67’) 5: Little impact from striker but little service in his defence. EPA

Said Benrahma (On for Bowen 79’) N/A. AP

Erling Haaland broke the Premier League scoring record as Manchester City defeated West Ham United 3-0 and returned to the top of the table on Wednesday.

Treble-chasing City, who began the night in second place after Arsenal's defeat of Chelsea on Tuesday, who saw Rodri and Jack Grealish denied by the woodwork as they were frustrated by relegation-threatened West Ham in the first half.

But Nathan Ake made the breakthrough five minutes after the interval heading home a Riyad Mahrez free kick.

Haaland then eased the tension around the Etihad Stadium as he latched on to Grealish's through ball to beat Lukasz Fabianski and move past the 34 goals of Andy Cole and Alan Shearer with five games still to play.

With the points secured, substitute Phil Foden then made it 3-0 with a volley in the 85th minute that took a huge deflection off Emerson.

The win moved them one point clear of Arsenal and they have a game in hand on the London club. West Ham remain in 15th, four points above the relegation zone.

In the gallery above, you can see the player ratings from Wednesday's game at the Etihad. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.