West Ham never looked as if they would repeat last season's shock 2-1 win at the Etihad, but only a last minute goal from Raheem Sterling produced the 3-1 result that Manchester City deserved on Sunday.
The injury-hit Hammers looked as if they might face a similar thrashing to their 6-0 League mauling two seasons ago when they fell 2-0 behind inside 20 minutes. But coach Slaven Bilic made a change to his three-man central tactic during the break and Michail Antonio's 58th minute goal even threatened a shock for a while. The Hammers rarely threatened up front, though, and fans will welcome the introduction of Simone Zaza, on a season-long loan from Juventus.