A NEW Premier League season may have dawned, but it seems that old habits die-hard at Upton Park.

Without the genius of Carlos Tevez - who completed his move to Manchester United on Friday - this was the West Ham of the first three-quarters of last season - wasteful, hesitant and lacking in both confidence and ideas.

In contrast, Sven Goran Eriksson's Manchester City were incisive and inventive, despite the presence of no less than five new signings in the Swede's starting line-up.

City's opener was created and scored by two of that impressive quintet, Brazilian winger Elano powering past Matthew Upson before crossing low for Italian Rolando Bianchi to slide home from close range.

Then, with the Hammers chasing the game, Nedum Onuoha burst between Matty Etherington and Bobby Zamora before nutmegging the striker and laying the ball off for fellow substitute Geovanni to drill past Robert Green.

Despite dominating the game for long periods, Alan Curbishley's side - also boasting two new boys in stand-in captain Freddie Ljungberg and Craig Bellamy - rarely looked like finding a goal of their own.

The first half was a virtual non-event for the home supporters, who registered their displeasure by jeering their side off at the break.

City were by far the more potent force, with Elano, Bianchi and the lively Bulgarian Martin Petrov - recruited at a combined £21.3million from Shakhtar Donetsk, Reggina and Atletico Madrid respectively by the former England coach -a constant menace.

Left-winger Petrov had no less than four notable efforts, twice working Robert Green and twice firing narrowly wide, while on the opposite flank the fleet-footed Elano was equally impressive.

And despite being up against a young debutant goalkeeper in Kasper Schmeichel - son of the great Peter - the Irons failed to work the 20-year-old until the final minute of the opening half.

Even then, Ljungberg's shot was too weak to cause the Dane any real concern.

Earlier, Zamora drove powerfully wide from 25 yards, but there was little else to encourage the hordes at a sun-drenched Boleyn Ground.

Curbishley obviously agreed, replacing the ineffective Boa Morte and Lee Bowyer with Matty Etherington and Hayden Mullins at the break.

The shake-up had an immediate impact, with Micah Richards heading Ljungberg's cross off the line before Zamora dragged his follow-up effort wide.

Sensing their expensively-assembled opponents may be rocking, the Hammers went on the offensive, forcing a succession of corners before Etherington's cross just eluded the late-arriving Swede.

Dean Ashton - making his first West Ham appearance since the 2006 FA Cup final - made a welcome return with half-an-hour remaining.

But even the fit-again striker could not find an equaliser, volleying Etherington's cross a yard over before Geovanni's late clincher ensured the post-Tevez era began with a defeat.