City stunned by West Ham, Southampton go second in EPL

LONDON: Manchester City´s bid to put pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea suffered a setback as the champions slumped to a surprise 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Saturday.

But West Ham maintained their impressive recent form to stun the visitors, who were beaten in the league for the second time this season following their loss to Stoke in late August.

Morgan Amalfitano opened the scoring in the 21st minute and Diafra Sakho added the decisive second goal in the 75th minute.

David Silva set up a tense finish when City´s Spanish forward scored a fine individual effort two minutes later, but fourth-placed Hammers held on for a fourth win in their last five matches.

Southampton´s 1-0 win at home to Stoke saw them leapfrog City into second place, three points behind Chelsea. "We had a lot of chances to score but it is difficult to win if you don´t take them," Pellegrini said. "We have 80 points left to play for. We will continue fighting because there is no title being handed out at the moment."

For West Ham this was their first win in 11 games against City and midfielder Alex Song said: "The spirit is high and we are really enjoying it." (AFP)