- Man City beat West Ham 3-0
- Etihad went quiet early in second half
- Guardiola urged the fans to make some noise
WHAT HAPPENED? Guardiola was infuriated by the support, or lack thereof, shown by the Man City fans inside the Etihad Stadium during their 3-0 win against West Ham United on Wednesday evening.
Guardiola had to urge the supporters to get behind the team and make some noise early in the second half.
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WHAT THEY SAID: Sam Matterface, talkSPORT's commentator for the game, witnessed Guardiola turning towards the stands and asking them to cheer for his players before a West Ham corner early in the second period.
“Pep’s got the hump again. He’s not happy about the volume inside this stadium," Matterface said after watching the incident live inside the stadium.
“He’s turned round to the supporters exasperated saying ‘any chance of turning the volume up’? He’s turned round to the stand we’re in and told them to stand up and get behind the team. A few of them do that.
“It’s interesting.
"We were here last Wednesday night [against Arsenal] and Pep Guardiola was asking for noise, he got that noise.
“It hasn’t been that noisy tonight and he’s right to turn round and ask.
“He was getting frustrated there, you could see it in his face. He wanted the noise levels up.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The Citizens headed back into the dressing room at half-time with the deadlock yet to be broken. Although Nathan Ake scored the opener in the 49th minute, West Ham were turning the screw on the hosts, which led to the West Ham fans finding their voice again.
However, Erling Haaland scored his 51st goal of the season in all competitions to give City a two-goal lead, while Phil Foden put the match to bed with City's third goal in the 85th minute.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY? Having returned to the top of the Premier League table, Guardiola's side will hope to go four points clear of Arsenal when they host Leeds United on Saturday, May 6. They will then travel to the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, May 9, for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final clash with Real Madrid.