Man City draw vs West Ham: Five things we learned as Riyad Mahrez misses crucial penalty

MANCHESTER CITY came back from the brink to draw with West Ham and move four points clear in the Premier League title race.

In pictures: West Ham v Man City

Manchester City bounced back from the brink to salvage a 2-2 draw away to West Ham United to put them four points clear at the top of the Premier League. Pep Guardiola's side pulled off an incredible second-half turnaround to put themselves in pole position to reclaim the title ahead of Liverpool, but will be ruing missing out on all three points after a late penalty miss.

Jarrod Bowen was the star of the show, first rounding Ederson to give the hosts the lead and then doubling his tally with an incisive low finish just before the interval. But Man City fought back valiantly, first through Jack Grealish on 48 minutes and then an own goal from Vladimir Coufal with 20 minutes to go to equalise.

Riyad Mahrez then had a chance to win it late on with a penalty but saw his penalty saved by Lukasz Fabianski. Express Sport looks at five things we learned from the London Stadium on a huge day in the title race.

READ MORE: Klopp's Liverpool quadruple dream depends on West Ham vs Man City

Pep Guardiola: Man City missed a late penalty

Pep Guardiola: Man City missed a late penalty (Image: Getty Images)

City find their gritty side

It wasn't the free-flowing football that football fans have become accustomed to watching from Manchester City. But in a title race, when it comes to deciding which team are champions, results are the only important thing. And here, City showed just how much they wanted it.

Pep Guardiola must have delivered a rousing talk at half-time after watching his side go two goals down and facing a nervy final day. But just three minutes after the break, Grealish thundered home his volley and his side kept pushing, kept knocking at the door. Eventually, West Ham broke their own resistance through Coufal's own goal, but it had been coming.

Much has been said about how Liverpool can grind out a win when the circumstances demand it. But the leaders showed their mettle here today, and if they do become champions next week, this result may be the most important of them all.

DON'T MISS
Klopp laughs at Guardiola's claim that everyone wants Liverpool to win
Liverpool boss Klopp sends huge cry to stars and warns Man City
Guardiola fires Haaland message to Liverpool after Wolves win

Jarrod Bowen: The West Ham star scored twice against Man City

Jarrod Bowen: The West Ham star scored twice against Man City (Image: Getty Images)

Bowen must be on Southgate's radar

The way he galloped through after timing his run perfectly and confidently rounded Ederson showed, if there were any doubts, that Jarrod Bowen is a player in form. The second time he beat Ederson with a composed low finish, it proved he has star quality.

It has been a while since England had a genuine left-footed winger who could score such a wide range of goals like he can and Gareth Southgate will know it too. Bowen is one of only two English players to reach double figures for goals and assists in the Premier League this season with 12 and 10 respectively - Chelsea's Mason Mount is the other.

Those statistics prove just how influential the pair have been - and it would be a travesty for the 25-year-old if he wasn't at least considered for the plane to Qatar. There isn't much more that Bowen could have done to impress for West Ham this season and if he carries on his form into the next campaign, Southgate will find it difficult to ignore the winger for much longer.

City frustrated by Moyes tactics

David Moyes had a simple gameplan but an effective one to stifle the City attack in the first half and it worked to perfection. Knowing that Pep Guardiola's men were vulnerable at the back after a spate of injuries, the Hammers boss hatched a plan to go direct on the counter-attack.

Michail Antonio ran with the ball down the flanks and hold up the ball, giving his team-mates time to join him in attack. Bowen's runs in behind were timed superbly and left Oleksandr Zinchenko looking foolish for stepping up too late, while Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini buzzed around the central areas closing the space for City's midfielder. Behind them, Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek expertly patrolled the back four.

When City had the ball, Moyes decided to swamp his own box with bodies to make it difficult for the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva to receive possession in space. Their ineffectual display in the first half only highlighted how Moyes' tactics worked a treat and put his side on course for victory.

Jack Grealish: The winger's volley got Man City back into the match

Jack Grealish: The winger's volley got Man City back into the match (Image: Getty Images)

Grealish responds at last

For all of the talk about how Erling Haaland's arrival will force out Gabriel Jesus or Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish may need to watch over his shoulder. The winger cost a club-record £100m fee to sign from Aston Villa last summer but it has not been a campaign to smile about for the 26-year-old.

It has been a difficult transition for Grealish, going from the leading playmaker in a mid-table team to being left on the periphery in a left-wing role. But quite simply, he has not delivered the same levels as his City team-mates. Guardiola's men have scored 94 goals in the Premier League this season and before this game, Grealish has only had a direct hand in five of them (two goals, three assists). For a player of his calibre, that is not good enough.

But his goal got City back in the match at 2-1 to relieve some of the pressure, thumping home a volley from Rodri's knockdown. And if it proves to contribute to City's eventual title success, Grealish may feel all of the suffering from the past 10 months was worth it.

VAR needs work

In a title race where the margins can be so tight, there cannot be any excuse for officials missing a clear penalty, especially when there is a video review system to assist them in making a decision. Manchester City will be wondering why they were not awarded a penalty in the first half following a collision between Gabriel Jesus and Kurt Zouma.

The Brazilian striker looked certain to pull the trigger when he met Rodri's knockdown, but the 25-year-old collapsed to the floor clutching his leg after claiming contact from Zouma - and nothing was given. The incident was reviewed by VAR and play was allowed to go on rather swiftly. But when the replays were shown, it only took two angles for it to become clear that contact was made and that it was enough to cause Jesus to fall down.

Quite what the VAR officials were watching is anyone's guess, but given how some incidents have been reviewed for several minutes, one has to ask why the same treatment was not applied here. With two games left and Man City involved in a title race, taking longer to reach the right decision is an inconvenience that officials should be willing to bear with.

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?