Erling Haaland was the star as Manchester City surged to the top of the Premier League with a commanding 3-0 home victory over West Ham United.

At the Etihad Stadium, City secured their fifth consecutive league win, with Haaland opening the scoring inside five minutes after reacting fastest to a saved effort by Alphonse Areola. The Norwegian striker nearly doubled his tally immediately but headed wide from close range. City continued to dominate, with Tijjani Reijnders testing Areola before making it 2-0 just before halftime, finishing neatly from Haaland’s assist.

West Ham showed more urgency after the break, with Jarrod Bowen going closest, but Haaland sealed the win with his second goal, leaving the Hammers stranded in the relegation zone. The victory puts City one point ahead of Arsenal, who can reclaim the top spot later against Everton.

At Molineux, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ struggles worsened as Brentford secured a 2-0 win thanks to a second-half brace from Keane Lewis-Potter. He opened the scoring after Wolves failed to clear a hopeful ball from Vitaly Janelt and added a late composed finish to wrap up the points. Wolves’ plight deepened when Caoimhin Kelleher saved a late penalty from Jorgen Strand Larsen, extending the club’s record losing streak to 10 matches and leaving them 14 points from safety.

On the south coast, Brighton & Hove Albion were held to a goalless draw by Sunderland in their first-ever Premier League clash. Sunderland threatened more in the first half, while Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen made a crucial save to deny Omar Alderete. The draw leaves Brighton winless in December in ninth place, while Sunderland climb to fifth.

Drama unfolded at the Vitality Stadium as Burnley ended a seven-game losing run with a late Armando Broja header to earn a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth. Antoine Semenyo had put the hosts ahead with his eighth league goal of the season, but Burnley’s late strike denied Bournemouth a vital win.

Meanwhile, Chelsea mounted a spirited comeback to draw 2-2 at Newcastle United. The Magpies looked in control at halftime following a Nick Woltemade brace, but Chelsea captain Reece James reduced the deficit with a stunning second-half free-kick. Joao Pedro then capitalized on a defensive error to level the scores. A late chance for Harvey Barnes went begging, leaving Eddie Howe frustrated. Chelsea remain fourth, six points clear of Newcastle.