Man City are NOT back! Pep Guardiola denies his team's struggles are over despite clinical win against West Ham

City entered the match under pressure, having secured just one victory in their previous 13 outings. The visitors initially looked threatening, but Vladimir Coufal’s early own goal shifted momentum and City capitalised on their opportunities. Erling Haaland continued his scoring streak, netting twice to take his goals tally to 17 in the English top-flight, before Phil Foden added a fourth goal late in the game to cap off a dominant performance for the home side. West Ham managed a consolation through Niclas Fullkrug, but it did little to dampen the celebrations at the Etihad Stadium.

City’s win moves them within two points of the top four, a critical milestone as they aim to regain their footing in the league. With the hopes of a successful title defence hanging by a thread, Guardiola will be desperate to at least secure a Champions League spot for next season.

Nonetheless, the emphatic victory did little to convince Guardiola that their struggles were behind them.

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, the manager stated: "No [we are not back in the groove]. It is happier to win but we are still not like we were for different reasons. The result will help. We struggle but it is a release."

City’s back-to-back wins have provided a glimmer of hope for fans, but Guardiola’s reserved demeanour reflects his desire for sustained excellence. When asked about being clinical in front of goal, he added: "Absolutely. We were lucky with the first goal, they were better in the first minutes we could have gone zero one or zero two. The second goal helped us, it was an incredible goal but we are still not like we were."

With their league struggles momentarily eased, City now shift attention to the FA Cup, where they will face League Two team Salford City on January 11. The match presents an opportunity for Guardiola to rotate his squad and potentially build on the team’s recent momentum.