Manchester City 3 West Ham 1

The Irons patched up side, with Manuel Da Costa partnering James Tomkins at centre-back, was on the back foot almost from the first whistle and were undone after just six minutes.

Petrov got past Julien Faubert down West Ham's right flank and fired in a cross which the unmarked Tevez sidefooted home from six yards.

The former Boleyn favourite's celebrations were muted - presumably out of respect for the Irons fans - but it was a blow from which the Hammers never really recovered.

City continued to press and could have had a couple more goals, firstly when Tevez swivelled on the ball and fired wide and then when the same player fired over the bar.

But somehow West Ham managed to equalise quite against the run of play.

Carlton Cole put the Hammers level on 24 minutes when he cleverly backheeled Radoslav Kovac's shot home from close range.

That prompted West Ham to play with more conviction and Cole almost gave the Irons the lead when he headed goalwards from Faubert's cross but Shay Given saved.

But City regained the lead when Petrov, who always seems to play well against West Ham, curled a free kick around the wall and beyond the dive of Rob Green.

Joleon Lescott then headed wide before the game's most controversial moment arrived.

Scott Parker scored from 12 yards to apparently put the Irons on terms again, only for referee Chris Foy to rule it out for an apparent foul by Cole on Lescott moments earlier, although the decision appeared harsh.

Green then kept the Hammers in the game with smart saves from Craig Bellamy, another ex-Hammer in the City ranks, and Petrov.

The home side wrapped up the points when Tevez scored his second just after the hour mark.

He found himself again unmarked at the back post as he headed home Bellamy's free-kick.

Try as they might West Ham could not get back into the game and were lucky not to have come away on the end of a heavier defeat.

It means the Irons stay in the bottom three, two points behind Fulham, who they meet at Upton Park on Sunday on what has become a must-win game.

For Zola the performance, as well as the result, was very disappointing.

He said: "We didn't play in the first 45 minutes. When you play a team like City and you concede so much then it is very difficult to come back.

"I think this will be an important week for us. We will have to work hard. There are many things we need to concentrate on.

"We are much better than we are showing right now."

Manchester City: Given, Bridge, Zabaletta, Lescott, Toure, Wright-Phillips (Santa Criz, 80), Petrov, Barry (Johnson, 89), De Jong, Tevez, Bellamy. Unused subs: Taylor, Richards, Garrido, Sylvinho, Weiss.

Booked: Bridge

Goals: Tevez 5, 61, Petrov 32

West Ham: Green, Faubert, Ilunga, Tomkins, Da Costa, Parker, Noble, Kovac (Stanislas, 71), Jiminez (Hines, 71), Cole, Diamanti. Unused subs: Kurucz, Spector, Ngala, Payne, Nouble.

Booked: Diamanti

Goal: Cole 24

Attendance: 42,745