Manchester City breezed to a commanding 4-0 win over Fulham on Saturday afternoon to take another step towards the Premier League title and move back to the top of the table. A brace from Josko Gvardiol, a Phil Foden strike, and a late Julian Alvarez penalty helped Man City ease to an important victory, dispatching of a limp Fulham side and piling the pressure on title rivals Arsenal.
How the game started
The Cityzens headed to Craven Cottage as favorites having won their last 15 games with Fulham, it took just 13 minutes for the reigning champions to take the lead. A lovely passing move saw Kevin De Bruyne pick out Gvardiol, and the in-form full-back took a wonderful touch before stroking past Bernd Leno.
First half
City began to outpace the game against Fulham, with Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden testing Leno with slightly tame long-range efforts. Manuel Akanji probably should have doubled their advantage at the end of the half, but fired over from close range following a corner. The Cottagers simply couldn’t escape Man City’s pressing game, continually handing possession back to Pep Guardiola’s side. They failed to even register a shot on Ederson’s goal in a first half that couldn’t have been much simpler for the away side.
Second Half
The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, and Silva almost put Man City out of sight after the restart of the game. The Portuguese collected De Bruyne’s pass and fired a near-post effort at Leno, who matched it with a firm save. Just six minutes later, and Man City did have their second goal of the game. Silva gave a good pass to Antonee Robinson on the right flank and drove into the penalty area before the ball eventually fell to the feet of Foden, who dragged a low drive into Leno’s far post.
Manchester City Player Ratings
- GK: Ederson – 6/10
- RB: Manuel Akanji – 7/10
- CB: Ruben Dias – 7/10
- CB: Nathan Ake – 6/10
- LB: Josko Gvardiol – 9/10
- CM: Rodri – 9/10
- CM: Mateo Kovacic – 7/10
- RM: Bernardo Silva – 8/10
- AM: Kevin De Bruyne – 7/10
- LM: Phil Foden – 7/10
- ST: Erling Haaland – 6/10