“Normally, we don’t meet these kinds of teams,” Erling Haaland reflected on the third of his three goals on Saturday. “Normally, teams drop more, but West Ham needed a goal and the line was higher and I had space to go in behind.”

The thing is, it was Haaland who afforded Manchester City that extra option by scoring the two goals that obliged West Ham to change their approach in the first place.

For the first of them, he struck after City won the ball back high up the pitch, exposing a gaping hole as West Ham tried to play out from the back. “With space behind, he’s unstoppable,” said City manager Pep Guardiola. “There’s no central defender, not even with a gun… it’s impossible to stop him. He’s so fast, so powerful.”

For the second, City worked their way up the pitch patiently, as they usually have to do, and Haaland smashed in an emphatic finish — a half-chance, really — after a succession of intricate passes.

The moral of the story is that no matter what you try to do, when Haaland is at his very best — and his team-mates can find him — you are going to come unstuck; he added that third on the break after, as he said, West Ham pushed up looking for an equaliser.

Last weekend, after a varied hat-trick against Ipswich (a penalty, a ball in behind and a shot from outside the box), one of his City team-mates wrote on his match ball that he was getting sick of signing them for him. This time, one simply wrote, jokingly, ‘F*** off’.

Haaland has 11 hat-tricks for City now in barely two years since joining them and there will probably be more soon.

“He’s playing much better,” Guardiola said at the London Stadium, leaving no room for doubt. “In everything.”

Guardiola had been asked if Haaland’s goals looked a bit “crisper” than the ones he scored last season and on another day, he might have pointed out how many the Norwegian actually did score last season — 38 in 45 appearances in all competitions (he won the Premier League Golden Boot, with 27, as he did in his 2022-23 debut year when he got 36) — but on this occasion, the City manager was happy to meet the truth head-on.

During the summer, Guardiola left breadcrumbs about some observations, possibly even some frustrations, about Haaland’s contributions that he did not feel the need to share during last season. And in the past two weeks, he has decided to open up even more.

“After the (2022-23) treble, he struggled to handle it, and maybe not too many holidays,” Guardiola said last weekend. “I remember at the beginning he said, ‘Still I’m tired, still I am a little bit drained’.”

And after subtly suggesting during the club’s pre-season tour in the United States that he wanted more from Haaland, he took the opportunity to explain exactly what that was. Typically, it was after Haaland had scored that hat-trick against Ipswich.

“We talked a little bit in the States. I didn’t like some things and he changed his mind,” Guardiola teased and when later asked what he did not like, he again chose the open and honest route.

“I like when he runs a lot. I like when he presses like an animal. I like it. It helps to score a goal. When you are connected defensively, you are connected offensively. When you are disconnected defensively and you run and the ball surprises you, you are not precise.

“This mix; to know exactly what to do and help us. His body language… imagine a central defender has the ball and he makes a sprint with this body and legs moving. It’s scary. And it helps us, for the people in the middle and back to support him, and we are more effective in our high pressing.

Guardiola congratulates Haaland after full-time at the London Stadium (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)

“We need him. This is not negotiable. If you (Haaland) don’t score a goal, it’s fine, but you need to do it (the pressing). Especially when we link up with him, he has to control the ball better, but we are working with him on it. Hopefully he can do it.”

As much as the goals, all of that stuff was evident on Saturday evening. Haaland set up Rico Lewis for what should have been City’s third with a fine through ball and on one occasion raced back to prevent a West Ham counter-attack from a corner.

It was his best all-round performance in what feels like forever and if that feels harsh on somebody who, after all, still scored loads of goals last season, it always felt at the time like everything seemed that little bit harder in his second year of English football. With the benefit of hindsight, it certainly feels that way now.

“There are details,” Guardiola continued after the game. “He stays 20 minutes or half an hour after training sessions to work on finishing, close control, short passes. Last season, not even once was he there (doing that work) because he didn’t feel good; tired, niggles, most of the season.”

Haaland admitted after his goal in the opening league game against Chelsea two weeks ago that he could “stand and watch” while his team-mates bring the ball up the pitch, and that is OK because by just being there, he can take his markers into areas where they cannot get close to City’s other threats.

Issues can arise when City cannot find him for that one chance or, when they do, he misses it anyway, which is what happened quite a lot last season, certainly compared to his first one.

But the message from Guardiola is that City will keep finding him and Haaland looks ready to hold up his end of the bargain.

“What we need is the team to play better and better to give him more balls in the final third, and with Rico, Kevin (De Bruyne), (Ilkay) Gundogan, Bernardo (Silva), (James) McAtee, we’re going to create those situations because they’re really good in small spaces,” said the City manager.

Haaland has scored seven goals in his three games this season (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Interestingly, Guardiola has been trying to leverage another way of getting Haaland some relatively simple finishes: crosses to the back post. He started Savinho and Jeremy Doku on their strongest sides against Chelsea, with the aim of getting them to the byline to stand up the ball for Haaland to nod in, but the players took it upon themselves to switch sides after 15 minutes that day and they looked better for it.

In the opening exchanges at West Ham, City were clearly looking for those stood-up crosses, too, but when one found the intended target, Haaland headed it over the crossbar. But even the low crosses were often cut out.

“In small spaces, which happens quite often against us, we need players with good crosses, but we are still not so clever,” Guardiola continued. “For example, Jeremy arrived in the final third and we are not precise enough, like Jack (Grealish) sometimes, too, but in small spaces, when we improve in that department, he will have more chances and we know how clinical he is. Everybody knows it.”

Even so, the incredible statistics that seemed to accompany every Haaland performance in his debut season have suddenly come flooding back.

His eight Premier League hat-tricks have come in 69 games — it took Thierry Henry 258 matches to do the same.

Haaland has now scored more than once in 26 per cent of his league games for City — 10 doubles and those eight hat-tricks — which is the highest ratio of any player.

He began his Premier League career here in this stadium two years and three weeks ago with a pair against West Ham on his league debut, and with the hat-trick against Ipswich last weekend, he kept up his record of scoring against every team he has faced in the competition.

Going back where it all started and bagging another hat-trick: it looks like he is taking things up another level.

GO DEEPER

The Briefing: West Ham 1 Manchester City 3 – Another Haaland hat-trick but where is Walker?

(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

It was the beginning of new eras for both USC and LSU, but only one of them got off to an ideal start.

Miller Moss, only replacing No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, had ice in his veins, driving down the field late to help the 23rd-ranked Trojans get a 27-20 victory over No. 13 LSU in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

With the game tied at 20 with 1:47 left and a timeout, it was all USC needed. Moss completed his first five passes on the drive, and with 18 seconds left, Kyron Hudson made his second one-handed catch of the night to put the Trojans in field goal range. 

After the reception, LSU’s Jardin Gilbert was called for targeting, putting the Trojans at the LSU 13. Woody Marks then ran it in for his second score of the night, giving USC a 27-20 lead over LSU with eight seconds left. Garrett Nussmeier’s first pass for a miracle drive was picked off, all but giving USC the victory.

The aforementioned Hudson had what might already be the catch of the year earlier in the game back in the second quarter, and the Trojans found the end zone two plays later with a Marks score to go up, 7-0.

Southern California Trojans running back Woody Marks (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the LSU Tigers during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium.  (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)

LSU PLAYER CALLED FOR UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT AFTER APPEARING TO PRETEND TO SHOOT GUN AFTER TOUCHDOWN

However, LSU scored on a Kyren Lacy touchdown on the ensuing drive. After the score, though, he appeared to pretend to shoot a gun, resulting in a 15-yard penalty on the kickoff. USC took advantage, but ultimately had to settle for a field goal. LSU matched it, and USC missed a field goal just before the half ended to head into the locker room tied at 10.

Both teams exchanged punts to begin the second half, but USC found the middle of the uprights midway through the third. LSU, though, responded with a seven-play, 73-yard touchdown drive that ended in Nussmeier’s second touchdown, this time to Aaron Anderson.

Midway through the fourth, USC found themselves at LSU’s 36-yard line and opted to go for it on 4th and 9, but Moss’ pass fell incomplete. But after forcing a three-and-out, the Trojans needed just three plays to take the lead, as Moss found Ja’Kobi Lane for an impressive, over-the-shoulder, touchdown grab to put USC up, 20-17, with 5:44 to go. LSU, though, kicked a game-tying field goal on their next drive. But, it clearly was not enough.

Moss completed 27 of his 36 passes for a career-high 378 yards, while Marks ran for 68 yards on his 16 carries, two of which resulted in touchdowns. 

Southern California Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) throws a pass against the LSU Tigers during the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)

In replacing reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, who went right after Williams in the NFL Draft, Nussmeier impressed by going 29-for-38 for 304 yards through the air – Lacy led all receivers with seven receptions for 94 yards.

USC figures to climb up a decent amount in the rankings, and they will head home on Saturday to host Utah State. It will be interesting to see where LSU winds up, though, as they host Nicholls next weekend.

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Follow live coverage of Day 7 at the 2024 US Open

NEW YORK — It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Twenty-six days after Novak Djokovic won Olympic gold in Paris, he finished off his second-least profitable Grand Slam season since 2009 with a stunning third-round defeat to Alexei Popyrin at the U.S. Open. With a few months remaining on the 2024 tennis calendar, he could end the year without a Tour-level title for the first time since 2005, while simultaneously securing what he describes as the “greatest achievement of his career”.

When has it ever been a case of either/or for Djokovic? The 24-time major winner is generally only satisfied when he is winning everything. Settling for anything less has generally been anathema to the man who has dominated tennis, with a blip or two, since the start of 2011.

As it so often goes in this sport, father time is undefeated. At 37 , perhaps the moment that was always coming has finally arrived. Not in a steep decline, nor an end to his relevance at Grand Slam tournaments. Just his becoming a player that can still hit the heights on occasion, but not all the time and not all season long.

Players who have beaten him include Alejandro Tabilo, Tomas Machac, Luca Nardi, and now Popyrin. His defeats at the majors to his two biggest rivals, Jannik Sinner in Australia and Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon, were both desperately one-sided. That Djokovic reached that Wimbledon final just six weeks after surgery on the medial meniscus of his right knee is testament to the fact that he can still be a force at Grand Slams. That Alcaraz cut him down so easily in that final is testament to the feeling that his defeats now, after so long, have the capacity to become ugly very quickly.

It happened against Popyrin, in front of 24,000 on Arthur Ashe. Djokovic has been in recovery for months, slowly upping his physical exertion, and in that time, his game has necessarily suffered. His ball-striking and tactical nous are still there, and he has even added a turbo boost when he needs it, most memorably ripping two forehands past Alcaraz in the second-set tiebreak at the Olympics.

His thoughts after his defeat to Popyrin didn’t account for any of that.

“I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly, serving by far the worst ever,” Djokovic told reporters in a short post-match press conference as Friday night ticked into Saturday morning.

Ever since he returned from surgery, his service motion has been ungainly, particulary on the follow-through. He has looked unsteady as he lands, often stumbling into the court. But the ball has still gone in the box. Not so across this tournament, where he made 52 percent of his first serves, against a career average in the mid-60s. He hit 32 double faults in 38 service games across three rounds.

He also acknowledged that it had been difficult coming here so soon after the high of the Olympics, and that he wasn’t really in the right state to compete. “I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive to New York just not feeling fresh mentally and physically,” he said.

GO DEEPER

Novak Djokovic knew he would win Olympic gold – he just didn’t know when

“But because it’s the U.S. Open, I gave it a shot and I tried my best.”

All of this is totally understandable — it’s just, this is Djokovic. Aside from the 2016 to 2018 comedown after he completed the career Grand Slam, what’s been so remarkable about him is his ability to always go again, even as he’s ticked monumental achievement after monumental achievement off his list.

That wasn’t the case against Popyrin. He looked lifeless, struggling to rouse himself in the way he normally does, and he was strikingly quiet — barely making a sound as he struck the ball — even in moments of high exertion and stress. The crowd play was half-hearted. The tight games invariably went against him, rather than for him. The familiar first-set rope-a-dope that turns into a dominant four-set win never came.

In the third set and the early part of the fourth, when Popyrin was collapsing into serves, missing and lambasting himself, it looked as if the inevitable was coming. But it wasn’t the inevitable of the last 20 years that arrived. It was the inevitable of the last eight months.

Alexei Popyrin overcame a wobble midway through the match to seize control in the fourth set. (Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

As his Grand Slam season ends, the phenomenal achievement of winning Olympic gold increasingly looks like a shiny distraction, in analytical terms. Nothing can diminish the scale of doing that at 37, not least Djokovic’s reaction as he collapsed to the clay and shook with tears, but it has still been a pretty disappointing year for him. There are mitigating circumstances — not just Djokovic’s knee, but being struck on the head by a metal water bottle in Rome — that have made achieving his usual heights even more challenging.

He will be back for the Australian Open, desperate to wrestle the title he has won 10 times back from Jannik Sinner, but what happened on Friday wasn’t a blip. It was not an earth-shattering result, like when he lost to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon in 2016, which turned the tennis world upside down. Losing to Popyrin, who ran him close at this year’s Australian Open and at Wimbledon too, was in keeping with many of his defeats this year.

Winning in Paris was the outlier, and while a Grand Slam final; semifinal; and quarterfinal is a year that the vast, vast majority of players would retire on at any age, that isn’t how Djokovic thinks. Until 2024, he had won a major title every year since 2010, but for 2017.

“Sitting from a larger perspective, of course I have to be content,” Djokovic said when asked to take a longer-term view himself. Seeing whether Djokovic has the ability to reset his goals in the next year or so, and whether he is happy to do so, will be one of the defining stories in tennis in 2025.

(Top photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)