Goals from Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne were enough to seal a comfortable 2-0 win for Manchester City to leave West Ham languishing in the relegation zone.
A lot had transpired in between when this game was postponed and subsequently rearranged after Storm Ciara swept into the Etihad Stadium with heavy rain 10 days ago.
Pep Guardiola had dominated the headlines after Manchester City's Champions League ban but the Catalan brushed off speculation about his future and insisting the club have "their backing".
Guardiola made five changes to his side that lost 2-0 to Tottenham last time out, with Gabriel Jesus partnering Sergio Aguero in attack.
West Ham boss David Moyes set up with a defensive 5-3-2 setup, putting Robert Snodgrass up top with Michail Antonio and new signing Jarrod Bowen on the bench.
Those expecting a dominant opening from the home side were not disappointed, with Jesus and Aguero both going close in the early moments.
The former then had another chance to beat Lukasz Fabianski but fluffed his lines, allowing Aaron Cresswell to make a last-ditch challenge. But City were having it all their own way as West Ham defended deeply.
The champions kept coming and finally got their reward on the half-hour mark. Kevin De Bruyne whipped in the corner and Rodri's glancing header nestled in the far corner.
At half-time, the statistics told the whole story: City 15 shots, West Ham one. And it was very much the same menu in the second half as Aguero flashed an effort wide of the post.
Things soon got worse for the Hammers when Ryan Fredericks went off with a shoulder injury, giving Pablo Zabaleta a chance to bid farewell to the Etihad Stadium in his final season.
That injury seemed to disrupt West Ham's shape and De Bruyne took full advantage, overlapping Bernardo Silva before sneaking a low effort past Fabianski at his near post. It was a richly deserved goal for the Belgian, who had been the game's best performer by a long stretch.
The playmaker nearly provided a stunning assist for Jesus but the Brazilian saw his effort blocked by Fabianski, who kept the score down to something respectful at least.
Jarrod Bowen came off the bench late on to make his debut for West Ham after his January switch from Hull City, but the damage was done long before his introduction as City put a testing week behind them to get back to winning ways.
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