Manchester City beat West Ham United in their first Premier League appearance after UEFA ban

Image courtesy: Reuters

Manchester: Manchester City showed no signs of letting their off-field problems distract them as they comfortably beat relegation-threatened West Ham United 2-0 in their re-arranged Premier League game on Wednesday (February 19).

City took the lead on the half-hour from a well-worked corner routine, Rodri rising to meet Kevin De Bruyne delivery with a superbly angled header at the near post.

De Bruyne doubled the lead in the 62nd minute, squeezing in a right-foot shot at Lukasz Fabianski`s near post after a swift exchange with Bernardo Silva.

UEFA handed City a two-year ban from European football on Friday for serious breaches of their Financial Fair Play regulations. The Premier League champions deny the charges and are appealing against the decision.

While manager Pep Guardiola deflected pre-game television questions about the issue, City fans had no such reticence, shouting chants aimed at UEFA, including one which ended with "we will see you in court".

City is second in the league but are 22 points behind leaders Liverpool while West Ham remained in 18th position, deep in the relegation battle.

The game was originally scheduled for Feb. 9 but was postponed due to stormy weather.