This archive report was first published on 11 August 2019.
On a day when VAR made its debut in England's top flight, Manchester City set the tone for the season with a convincing 5-0 win over West Ham at the London Stadium on August 10, 2019.
Manchester City's Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick, with the technology playing a significant role in the game. The visitors took the lead midway through the first half when Gabriel Jesus flicked in Kyle Walker's low ball into the box.
They doubled their advantage six minutes into the second half, Sterling sliding in a low shot after being put through by Kevin de Bruyne. The system then awarded the visitors a penalty retake after Sergio Aguero's tame effort was saved by Lukasz Fabianski but Declan Rice was deemed to have encroached into the area.
After Aguero's retaken penalty, Sterling got his third in injury time to complete the rout. This was, nevertheless, a dominant and deserved victory for Pep Guardiola's side, who laid down a marker for the season ahead in emphatic fashion.
