Manchester City 5 Fulham 4: City come out on top in a thriller at Craven Cottage

Manchester City 5 (Erling Haaland 17′, Tijjani Reijnders 37′, Phil Foden 44′, 48′, Sander Berge OG 54′)

Fulham 4 (Emile Smith-Rowe 45+1, Alex Iwobi 57′, Samuel Chukwueze 72′, 78′)

Manchester City has survived an absolutely pulsating match to win 5-4 against Fulham at Craven Cottage tonight. When the starting lineups were announced, Pep Guardiola had named an unchanged starting lineup from City’s 3-2 win over Leeds. It was now up to the players who were trusted again to do the job and pick up a valuable three points against a well-managed and tricky opponent at Craven Cottage.

First half.

Manchester City began the game brightly and should have taken the lead in the 6th minute. Phil Foden picked out Erling Haaland as City played through the Fulham defence with ease. Haaland was played through, and he was presented with a chance to score his 100th Premier League goal, and he beat Bernd Leno, but Haaland’s shot thundered into the post and went wide. Pep Guardiola’s side had begun the game brightly and were dominating possession in the game’s early stages.

Erling Haaland fires Manchester City into the lead as he smashes yet another record!!!!

Manchester City would take the lead in the 17th minute. A well-worked City move saw Jeremy Doku picked out on the left wing. He put in a quality ball and a clever dummy from Tijjani Reijnders let the ball run to Erling Haaland. Haaland unleashed a powerful left-footed strike from the Fulham penalty spot to beat Bernd Leno and give City a well-deserved lead. It was a well-worked goal by City, and in the process, Erling Haaland smashed yet another record. He became the quickest player to score his 100th Premier League goal with Haaland’s 100 coming up in 111 games. He beat the record previously held by Alan Shearer, who reached the landmark in 124 games.

Fulham’s first chance of the game would come in the 24th minute. Alex Iwobi picked out Emile Smith-Rowe in acres of space inside the City penalty area. Smith-Rowe unleashed a powerful low drive that Gianluigi Donnarumma got down well to keep out. Fulham had responded well to falling behind, and Marco Silva’s side was growing into the match.

After a spell of Fulham pressure, Tijjani Reijnders doubles Manchester City’s lead.

Fulham had grown into the match up until the 37th minute. The hosts were creating half-chances and did have their spells of possession. But as Fulham grew into the match, it would be Manchester City, who would take a 2-nil lead. Erling Haaland played in Tijjani Reijnders and the Dutch international beat Bernd Leno with a quality finish to double City’s lead. It was a beautiful and simple goal, and the hope was that City had learned their lessons from having a 2-goal lead against Leeds last weekend.

Phil Foden puts City 3-nil up with a sumptuous strike.

Manchester City would take a 3-nil lead in the 44th minute. A Tijjani Reijnders corner was punched clear by Bernd Leno, but the ball fell to Phil Foden on the edge of the Fulham area. Foden took a touch to control the ball, steadied himself, and unleashed an unstoppable drive into the top corner to leave Bernd Leno no chance and give Pep Guardiola’s side an emphatic lead.

Emile Smith-Rowe pulls a goal back for Fulham on the stroke of halftime.

Fulham would pull a goal back in the first minute of first-half stoppage time. After a Fulham corner was cleared by the City defence, the ball was recycled, and the dangerous Harrry Wilson was picked out in acres of space on the right. Wilson played in a quality ball, and Emile Smith-Rowe beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a fine diving header to make it 3-1. Just as City looked to be cruising to three points, the complexion of the match changed with Smith-Rowe’s goal.

Emile Smith-Rowe’s goal would be the last action of the first half. Manchester City had been impressive to grab a 3-nil lead, but the job wasn’t done for Pep Guardiola’s side as Emile Smith-Rowe’s goal showed that Fulham wasn’t going to go away.

Second half.

Fulham began the second half brightly, and they looked to have gained confidence from their goal that cme at the end of the first half. But as Fulham looked to be gaining a foothold in the match, City would make it 4-1 in the 48th minute.

Phil Foden makes it 4-1 with a composed finish to cap off a sparkling City counterattack.

Manchester City would make it 4-1 in the 48th minute. As Fulham pushed forward to find another goal to force themselves back into the match, they left themselves exposed to the counter. City would take advantage of this vulnerability to devastating effect. Tijjani Reijnders would play a ball out wide to the left wing to Jeremy Doku. Doku would drive at the Fulham defence, and he attempted to pick out Erling Haaland in the box. His ball evaded Haaland, but Phil Foden was aware of the situation, and he ghosted in at the back post to beat Bernd Leno with a clever finish to give City a 4-1 lead.

Jeremy Doku makes it 5-1 with a deflected strike.

Six minutes later, City would make it 5-1. Jeremy Doku drove into the Fulham area, and he attempted to curl the ball past Bernd Leno. The ball struck Sander Berge and left Leno with no chance as the ball deflected into the far corner. The goal was later credited as a Sander Berge own goal.

Alex Iwobi pulls a goal back for Fulham.

Just as it seemed that City would canter to a comfortable victory, Alex Iwobi would pull a goal back for Fulham. Iwobi would beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a clever finish from the edge of the area as he used the City defenders as a shield as he curled the ball around them to make it 5-2. Tonight’s match was turning into a goal fest as the match wore on.

After Alex Iwobi’s goal, Fulham did dominate possession and create several half chances. Marco Silva’s side did deserve credit for their approach as they hadn’t given up despite the scoreline. As Fulham pushed forward, Erling Haaland would hit the post for the second time with a powerful header in the 68th minute. The game remained open as it entered the final 20 minutes.

Samuel Chukwueze pulls another goal back for Fulham as the hosts wouldn’t lie down.

Fulham would pull another goal back in the 72nd minute. Another well well-worked move from Marco Silva’s side saw the ball played into the City area. After a City clearance, the ball fell to Samuel Chukwueze, who unleashed a stinging low drive past Gianluigi Donnarumma to make it 5-3. The goal had been coming, and City’s frailties at the back were becoming an issue that needed to be rectified.

Chukwueze pulls another goal back as Pep Guardiola’s side began to fall apart.

Samuel Chukwueze would make it 5-4 in the 78th minute with another thumping finish. A Fulham corner was only half cleared by the City defence, and Chukwueze was on hand to thump in a quality left-footed strike to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma to make it 5-4. It was now game on as Pep Guardiola’s side was hanging on for dear life in the face of a Fulham onslaught.

Following Samuel Chukwueze’s second goal of the match, chances all of a sudden were at a premium. Fulham continued to press forward, and City tried to gain a semblance of control in the match. The game entered 8 minutes of stoppage time delicately poised.

In the 98th minute, Fulham would almost make it 5-all. A nice Fulham move saw Kevin play a ball into the City area that found Joshua King. King attempted to poked the ball over Donnarumma, and he succeeded in doing so. But Josko Gvardiol was on hand to clear the ball off the goal-line to preserve Manchester City’s 5-4 lead.

Josko Gvardiol’s desperate clearance would be the final significant moment of a pulsating match. City would pick up a precious three points to close to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal. But tonight’s match left more questions than answers, just like Manchester City’s recent match against Leeds.

First thoughts at the final whistle.

Manchester City picked up a vital three points with their 5-4 win over Fulham. That is the positive from tonight’s match. But what is of great concern is how easy City are to score and play against. After going 5-1 up in the 54th minute, City should have been able to see off Marco Silva’s side. But to Fulham’s credit, they never gave up the fight. They managed to make it 5-4 and the fight they displayed is a credit to the Fulham players and their manager. But Pep Guardiola will be concerned with how frail his team is currently and how they cannot control matches in typical City fashion.

The most important thing to come out of tonight’s match is that Manchester City picked up a crucial three points. But there is plenty for Pep Guardiola’s side to improve upon and that stood out come the final whistle.