Erling Haaland made the difference as Manchester City made an awkward away game look easy to pick up three valuable Premier League points.
At the ground where a missed spotkick in the penultimate match of last season set up a nervier final day - and nervier than anyone could have imagined! - Pep Guardiola's new No.9 planted the ball on the spot after being fouled in the area and slammed home his first in the league to break the deadlock. It was a terrific City performance, but it was Haaland who ultimately made their dominance count with two goals.
City lost to Tottenham on the opening weekend last year and saw their biggest threat to another title, Liverpool, held by Fulham on Saturday, so were already prepared for a difficult assignment first up. Perhaps because they have struggled so much against David Moyes's team in recent years, however, they came prepared to combat what they were up against.
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Having treated this like one of their many London playgrounds by winning the first four games with an aggregate score of 17-1, things have become increasingly difficult for City in this stadium that has acclimatised to hosting football matches despite never threatening to come close to Upton Park for atmosphere. They struggled here two years ago when Phil Foden was needed off the bench to salvage a draw, were knocked out of the Carabao Cup last season and then fell two goals behind in May before coming from behind in the second half only for Riyad Mahrez to miss a penalty to win it.
If the last game here was charged because it was Mark Noble's farewell, this time was the first home game of a new season that promises much with Declan Rice the new captain and an increased capacity in the ground. If City could have picked a fixture to start their campaign, this would have been well down the list.
It took less than two minutes for West Ham to serve notice to City that they would need to be on their game, Pablo Fornals pouncing from an errant Joao Cancelo pass across the pitch in his own third and the resulting pressure seeing Michail Antonio head over the bar and Ederson needing treatment after landing awkwardly trying to make sure it did not go in the net. The aerial tests continued for some time looking to use the pace and presence of Antonio against a centre-back in Nathan Ake not known for his height and speed.
Guardiola has always insisted that City's best means of defending is not to lose the ball, and slowly the yellow-and-black shirts began to take control of the game - although the approach was not quite what we are used to seeing. The quirky response to West Ham's narrow set-up was to pack the middle of the pitch with bodies, with Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo both moving inside and up alongside Rodri and inverted wingers to keep most of the play within the lines of the boxes.
If the first five minutes laid the foundation for another testing day under the ball, City instead made the decision simply to not let West Ham have it; the home side had only mustered 16 per cent possession in the opening half hour. Jack Grealish and Phil Foden - preferred to Riyad Mahrez on the right - began to chip away at West Ham's resolve with probing dinks into the box.
Having nearly failed to get on the end of one such delicate ball, Haaland reverted to type ten minutes before half-time with a burst into the box from an Ilkay Gundogan pass. His speed saw him reach the ball before substitute goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and after getting the first touch it was a stonewall penalty when the pair collided.
Haaland grabbed the ball, smashed it into the bottom corner with his left foot, and one particular monkey was removed from the player and club's back. West Ham, having begun with such gusto, went in at the break having been effectively reduced to spectators on their own patch.
Moyes made changes early in the second half with Said Benrahma and new forward Gianluca Scamacca coming on, and with the fans behind them the home side began to threaten again. Benrahma forced a save from Ederson and Guardiola was getting more and more agitated on the touchline as the hour mark passed.
Then came the combination that every Premier League club should dread. De Bruyne picked up the ball in his own half, laid on the dictionary definition of a defence-splitting ball and Erling Haaland had time to run around it and finish on his left foot with the air of a man who scores goals in his sleep.
Just like that, a dangerous time had turned into a comfortable scoreline and those who made a lot of noise about the Norwegian's miss and performance in the Community Shield suddenly found themselves without much to say. A snatched header and a substitution meant a hat-trick was not to be, but it was a statement of intent no less.
Not just from Haaland, but from City. They played better at this ground than they have on their previous two attempts, but they were able to leave with three points ultimately because of their new No.9. For everyone asking how Haaland can improve the Premier League champions, here was plenty for the eyes in the opening 90 minutes of the season.
One game does not make a season and there are many tricky tests to come, but if City can sustain this level over the season they will be right up there again challenging for the title. And if they are, you can expect Haaland to be a strong contender for the Golden Boot.
Despite some doubters, Haaland and City appear to fit each other very well indeed.
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