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Manchester City’s week is moving along sweetly, this win closing the gap to three points to Arsenal, who travel to Brentford on Thursday. On Sunday, they beat Liverpool at Anfield, on Wednesday they downed Fulham at home, to reel off a 20th consecutive victory against them.
The rosiest moment for the title challengers was Erling Haaland’s 39th‑minute strike, a first in the competition from open play in nine games, though Pep Guardiola will be concerned at how City still grasp for supreme control.
Haaland was removed at the break – maybe due to being hurt – so this is a concern, but a clean sheet plus scoring three times raises the goal difference to +30, two behind Arsenal. Who knows: the metric may prove the decider when the crown is handed out in May.
You had to go back to April 2009 for the last time Fulham defeated City when a Clint Dempsey double helped them to secure a 3-1 win here. Since then, the aggregate score was 53‑21 to the home team – a terrible statistic for the visitors.
Guardiola, then, in saying nice things pre-game about Marco Silva, could be read as patronising, though he has been in charge only since July 2021.
Phil Foden, back in the league XI for the first time in five games, had a goalbound volley from outside the area deflected, Then, from inside the area, a shot that was saved low by Bernd Leno.
In continual rain, Silva bemoaned Harry Wilson going backwards along the right, but a press featuring Antoine Semenyo, Haaland, Nico O’Reilly, Foden and Rodri meant scant other choice.
Guardiola approved of this, but was less enamoured with two loose O’Reilly passes and one from Foden: each time attacking positions were spurned, and when Alex Iwobi ran through and shot for Fulham the wastefulness felt worse.
That was until Semenyo scored at the other end. Rodri sprayed a pass left to Matheus Nunes, the right‑back crossed, Haaland leaped and missed, causing Sander Berge to haplessly head the ball towards his goal, where Semenyo bundled home for a fifth in eighth appearances since signing.
Instantly, Wilson went close to the perfect riposte. Breaking forward, he collected a rebound off Marc Guéhi and shot, Gianluigi Donnarumma saving.
Haaland stretched to feed O’Reilly around halfway and was taken down by Joachim Andersen, O’Reilly found Semenyo, carried on sprinting along the left, took the return pass and beat Leno. That was 2-0 on the half-hour.
City celebrated and Andersen soon was booked by Paul Tierney for the challenge on Haaland. Fulham needed to steady themselves, but failed as Haaland registered. Receiving from Foden near the D a killer touch tipped the ball on to his left and he drilled beyond Leno.
After a misplaced Guéhi header allowed Wilson to feed Emile Smith Rowe, who narrowly missed, Guardiola ended the period jumping with disgust at his side’s laxness.
In the reverse, helter-skelter fixture, City were 4-1 up by 48 minutes and ended hanging on for a 5-4 win. Could Fulham engineer something similar? There was no Haaland to contend with as he was off for the second half (perhaps injured by the Andersen challenge), Omar Marmoush his replacement.
City popped the ball about, but Guardiola seemed no happier so Tijjani Reijnders and Abdukodir Khusanov entered for Bernardo Silva and Nunes, as Silva made a triple change – Kevin, Rodrigo Muniz and Josh King for Samuel Chukwueze, Smith Rowe and Raul Jimenez.
When Rodri, Guéhi and Khusanov combined near their goal suddenly City were upfield, Foden could release Semenyo: the move faltered but you saw the flow to City that is their best mode.
A Foden challenge on Calvin Bassey down the right had him booked, but this was fine as City sought to slow the contest and protect the lead. Helpful here was a Wilson corner – a rarity for Fulham – he overhit all the way across to the left, their latest disappointing moment.
By 70 minutes, Rayan Cherki and Nico González were involved, as Guardiola freshened the legs more – Rodri and Foden making way – this after Donnarumma repelled, low, a Muniz effort.
As the game petered out, Donnarumma tipped over from King, but with 12 games left City are where Guardiola wants them: in the hunt.
