CLASSY CARLOS HAS EX FACTOR; BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE FROM EASTLANDS.

Byline: DAVID McDONNELL

MANCHESTER CITY 3

WEST HAM 1

SIR ALEX FERGUSON may have tried to airbrush Carlos Tevez from his memory, but the Manchester City striker is determined not to go quietly.

The way Fergie speaks of Tevez these days is as if the player's two-year spell at Manchester United never happened, the defection to their local rivals the ultimate betrayal for the Old Trafford manager.

But United's loss has undoubtedly been City's gain, as Tevez struck twice to help Mark Hughes' side to their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign.

Victory took City up to fifth place in the table, level on points with Liverpool and Tottenham, but crucially with a game in hand. And with Tevez in this kind of irresistible form, the club's hopes of challenging for the title are far from fanciful.

West Ham arrived languishing in 18th after their worst start since the 2002-03 season, when relegated.

And their miserable run continued after just five minutes, when the hosts profited from collective amnesia in West Ham's defence to take the lead through Tevez.

A long ball from Shay Given was flicked on by Gareth Barry into the path of Martin Petrov, who was allowed ample time to pick out the unmarked Tevez, who applied the simplest of finishes from close range.

Indeed, Tevez could have had a hat-trick inside the first 10 minutes, such was City's dominance and West Ham's willingness to fulfil the role of obliging opponents and allow them to control the game.

Tevez sent a soaring shot inches wide in the ninth minute after a swift turn, then scooped the ball over the bar five minutes later when more sloppy defending from the visitors allowed him another glimpse of the goal.

Petrov forced a fine low save from Robert Green in the 17th minute with a first-time shot, as City threatened to bury Hammers under an avalanche of goals and continue their impressive start to the campaign.

There seemed little doubt as to the outcome, but West Ham levelled in the 28th minute with their first real attack on goal.

Alessandro Diamanti slung a free-kick into the box, which was meekly headed away by Joleon Lescott. The ball fell to Radoslav Kovac, whose firsttime shot was turned in from close range by Carlton Cole for his third goal of the season.

The equaliser seemed to sap City of their early vigour and Cole could have edged West Ham ahead four minutes later, but his downward goalbound header was gathered well by Given.

But the leveller proved to be only a temporary setback for City, who regained the lead in the 31st minute through an exquisitely-delivered freekick from Petrov.

Luis Jimenez bundled over Nigel De Jong to concede the kick, which Petrov expertly dispatched around the wall and beyond the reach of England goalkeeper Green.

It was Petrov's first goal for 14 months, the Bulgarian winger having missed most of last season with a careerthreatening knee-ligament injury which required surgery and a lengthy period of rehabilitation.

The Hammers were unlucky to have a second equaliser ruled out four minutes before the break when Cole seemed to just brush Lescott off the ball rather than foul him, as referee Chris Foy decided, before setting up Scott Parker for a tap-in. Petrov's pace and guile caused West Ham untold problems, as did the relentless industry of Tevez and the constant menace provided by Craig Bellamy, who came close to scoring with a header smothered by Green just before the interval.

City created the breathing space they required with their third goal in the 61st minute, Bellamy the provider for Tevez, whose angled glancing far-post header went beyond the reach of Green.

The keeper was called upon to ensure the scoreline did not become an embarrassment for West Ham, producing a fine save to tip a dipping shot from Barry over the bar with 13 minutes left.

MANCHESTER CITY: Given, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, De Jong, Barry, Petrov, Tevez, Bellamy.

WEST HAM: Green, Faubert, Da Costa, Tomkins, Ilunga, Diamanti, Kovac, Parker, Noble, Jimenez, Cole.

REFEREE: Chris Foy ATT: 42,745

CAPTION(S):

CARLTON GOAL West Ham level it up at 1-1 thanks to striker Carlton Cole, but his effort was all in vain at Eastlands last night HEAVY PETTING City team-mates celebrate with Petrov. Right: Hero Tevez TWO GOOD Martin Petrov scores City's second goal