54 min Soucek pulls back Haaland 30 yards out, a brazen foul for which he should really have been booked.

53 min Doku wins a corner off Coufal, who will be treated for twisted blood after this game. Foden curls it out and Ward-Prowse heads away.

51 min The utter state of this.

51 min Foden has too much space, 25 yards out, and curls a lovely shot just wide of the far post. I think Areola had it covered

50 min “Am stuck in a windowless room at an airport hotel missing this glorious weather to say goodbye to the shiny-toothed one,” writes Ian Copestake, who knows how to show himself a good time.

49 min A defensive clearance rolls to De Bruyne on the edge of the D. He cracks a first-time shot with his left foot that goes a few yards wide.

48 min City have started the half calmly, passing the ball from side to side as they look for openings. They’ll want to get this done in the first 15 minutes.

47 min “This is more exciting at half time than I was expecting,” says Liz White. “I had to turn to the Arsenal game at the first Foden goal. All the Toronto teams are out of the playoffs (hockey) so what am I going to do with my weekends until the Euros?”

I don’t suppose county cricket is big in Canada, is it. MotoGP?

46 min Michail Antonio has the first kick of the second half. The first few minutes should reveal the mood of both teams and tell us whether West Ham have a realistic chance of a stunning comeback.

The half-time scores

• Arsenal 1-1 Everton

• Brentford 0-3 Everton

• Brighton 0-0 Man Utd

• Burnley 0-2 Nottm Forest

• Chelsea 1-0 Bournemouth

• C Palace 2-0 Aston Villa

• Liveprool 2-0 Wolves

• Luton 1-2 Fulham

• Man City 2-1 West Ham

• Sheff Utd 0-1 Spurs

“I have previously joked in these parts about a Danny Ings heat map requiring thermals and a woolly hat,” writes Brian Withington. “Antonio’s is currently doing a passable imitation of the heat death of the Universe.”

Half-time reading

Half time: Manchester City 2-1 West Ham

45+3 min Don’t try this at home, unless you’re Klaus Fischer.

45+1 min: Good chance for Haaland! Doku, the man of the half apart from Foden, beats Coufal yet again and slides a low cross towards the near post. Haaland makes a classic striker’s run across Zouma but then clips over from six yards. The ball bobbled but it was still an excellent opportunity.

45 min Four minutes of added time.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Everton (Tomiyasu)

That’s a stonking goal from Mohammed Kudus. Ward-Prowse’s corner hit Soucek at the far post and bounced towards Kudus, back to goal eight yards out. He touched the ball up in the air to set up himself for a beautiful overhead kick that beat Ortega for pace.

Pep Guardiola throws his water bottle down in disgust. City definitely switched off for a bit.

GOAL! Man City 2-1 West Ham (Kudus 43)

42 min Coufal’s excellent cross is turned behind by Walker at the far post. West Ham are having their first decent spell of the game, and City might be sleepwalking towards one last brollocking from Pep Guardiola.

39 min The gap at the top is now five points, which would be harsh on Arsenal. Sometimes the league table can be economical with the truth. For example Arsenal won the title by a point in 1997-98, when in reality it was six or seven points. I’ll be honest, I don’t know what I’m going about here; I feel slightly dizzy after watching City play about 40 consecutive passes.

GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Everton (Gueye 40)

38 min: Good save by Ortega! West Ham enter the City box and almost do a goal. Kudus cuts inside from the right, then chops back outside Gvardiol and forces a good shot across goal with his right foot. Ortega dives to his right to paw it away.

37 min Rodri’s curler from distance is comfortably saved by the flying Areola.

35 min It’s still goalless at the Emirates, not that it matters, so here the as-it-stands jobbie.

34 min “No team could win four straight titles and not be the baddies,” says Max Williams. “Yet there’s something so bloodless about Man City. I despise what the team represents but I struggle to muster much emotion about the individual players or manager. The great teams of yore bristled with players loved by their fans and reviled by the opposition (and often the neutral): Drogba, Ronaldo, Keane, Ashley Cole, Pires, Terry. (I could basically list the entire Chelsea 2005 squad here.) Yet most names on the City teamsheet elicit nothing more than a shrug. They aren’t even good pantomime villains!”

I suspect supporters of a few clubs would disagree, human nature being what it is, but as a neutral I know what you mean. Maybe even generation gets the villains (sic) they deserve.

31 min Gvardiol marches forward and plays in Haaland, whose shot is half blocked by Areola and dribbles fractionally wide. It wouldn’t have counted as Haaland was a millimetre offside.

29 min After another menacing run from Doku, De Bruyne’s shot is blocked by Coufal. This is so one-sided; according to the official Premier League site, City have had 82 per cent possession and six shots on target. I won’t insult you by telling you how many West Ham have had.

28 min Foden’s corner is headed wide by Gvardiol at the near post. The xG algorithm is going to explode in a minute.

27 min Now Akanji sweeps a long-range shot that is held by Areola, falling to his left. He’s already made at least four or five saves.

Make that at least five or six. Moments later, De Bruyne’s curler from the edge of the area is fingertipped round by Areola.

This performance is reminiscent of 2017-18 City, when opposition teams could barely breathe.

27 min “Hi Rob,” writes Frinton Bojangles. “I’m almost able to shed my memories of Steve Lomas wasting time by the corner flag despite us going down due to results elsewhere (with a post-substitution & post-shower Niall Quinn running down the touchline in slacks & loafers to shout at him) and then two years later going to Stoke and battering them but still going down to Division 2.”

If you were a City fan in the 20th century, Cityitis will never truly leave you. Watching the best team in the world has a certain medicinal benefit, though.

25 min Foden’s long-ranger is pushed away awkwardly by Areola; it was straight at the keeper but wobbling dangerously. City are battering West Ham.

24 min: Chance for Haaland! Bernardo Silva angles a ball towards Dias at the far post, he helps it back across the face of goal and Haaland can’t turn it from five yards. It bounced awkwardly and I think Mavropanos put him off.

23 min Doku’s shot nicks off Coufal and spins behind for a corner. He’s been a constant menace, as he was in the return fixture.

21 min You don’t get many eye-of-the-needle crosses, but this certainly qualifies.

20 min That was a deceptively brilliant pass from Doku, who had to bisect four West Ham defenders to find Foden. In a way you don’t want Doku to ever grow up, because he’s so much fun to watch, but imagine how devastating he could be in two or three years’ time.

That was such a simple goal, the kind City love to score: pass, pass, pass, goal. Gvardiol and Haaland combined to find Doku on the left; he got his head up and squared a precise low cross to Foden, who swept it first time past Areola from 15 yards.

GOAL! Man City 2-0 West Ham (Foden 18)

17 min: Chance for Rodri! City win the ball near the corner flag on their right. De Bruyne pushes it back to Rodri, who toebungs an unusually tame shot wide of the near post. He had a bit more time than he thought.

This should/will be Rodri’s 74th consecutive game for City without defeat, which would be a new world record according to IFFHS.

16 min Another Doku shot is blocked at the near post by Areola, a routine if slightly stinging save.

In other news, Moises Caicedo has scored from the halfway line.

15 min: Good save by Areola! Doku crackles inside from the left, cuts onto his right foot and hits a deflected shot that is tipped over acrobatically by Areola.