Mateo Kovacic’s brace helped Manchester City keep pace at the top of the Premier League in a nervy 3-2 win over Fulham at the Etihad Stadium.
The Cottagers had a good look and went ahead through Andreas Pereira, but the Croatia international struck either side of the break to turn the game around.
Rodrigo Muniz set up an anxious finish after Jeremy Doku had added a third for the hosts, but City eventually got over the line to stay within a point of leaders Liverpool ahead of the October international break.
How the game developed
After their Champions League win at Slovan Bratislava, City took to the Etihad turf knowing they needed a win to stay within striking distance of Liverpool at the top of the table. Premier League table later the reds won at crystal palace.
Pep Guardiola’s side had a good early rhythm, with Ilkay Gundogan and Erling Haaland shooting wide of Bernd Leno’s goal.
However, while Fulham accepted their role as defensive underdogs, they still showed their attacking teeth in the final third. Adama Traore’s pace proved too much for Rico Lewis as he latched on to a counter-attack, but Ederson quickly closed the angle to deny the former Wolves flyer.
Gundogan scored his first goal for City since returning from Barcelona in midweek but appeared to have left his shooting boots at home on Saturday, letting another chance pass when his late run into the area to see Bernardo Silva’s cross deflected off.
Shortly after this spurned chance, Fulham struck.
A good team move from the Cottagers saw Alex Iwobi fire past Raul Jimenez, whose backheel fell perfectly past Manuel Akanji and straight at Pereira. The former Manchester United midfielder slotted in from close range, although his side’s lead did not last long.
City’s pressure remained constant and they eventually got the equaliser. A corner was not cleared effectively and fell to Kovacic, whose deflected effort sailed past the defenseless Leno and into the net.
The home side may have headed into half-time on the scoresheet with Silva’s header into the far corner, but a quick start to the second 45 minutes ensured the miss was not costly.
It was Kovacic who made the second, waltzing onto Silva’s pass and lashing a shot past Leno and into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area.
After substitutions from both sides, there was a collector’s piece as Traore replaced Kyle Walker for speed. However, a familiar problem cost the winger again as his finish failed to find a way past Ederson.
Substitute Doku looked to have put the gloss on City’s win when he cut in and smashed home his side’s third, but an 88th-minute strike from Muniz brought it back to 3-2 for a nervy stoppage time.
However, city held to secure victory, leaving Fulham regret the chances they let go at the Etihad.
GK: Ederson – 7/10 – Had to make some smart saves from Fulham’s decent counter attacks.
RB: Rico Lewis – 6/10 – Showed incredible technique throughout the game but was also guilty of losing possession too easily on occasions. He received an assist for Doku’s strike.
CB: Manuel Akanji – 6/10 – Caught by Jimenez’s beautiful play which allowed Pereira to strike. Otherwise, he performed well enough before his retirement.
CB: Ruben Dias – 6/10 – Misplaced some of his passes and dealt decently with Fulham’s forwards.
LB: Josko Guardiol – 7/10 – Distributed the ball well and rarely came out of a one-on-one duel on the losing side.
DM: Mateo Kovacic – 9/10 – The Croatian’s first was deflected and a bit fortuitous, but his second was cleverly taken and deservedly so. He doesn’t offer the protection and security that Rodri does, but few others in world football do.
RW: Bernardo Silva – 7/10 – Always used the ball intelligently and could have had a goal on another day. He grabbed the assist for Kovacic’s second.
AM: Phil Foden – 6/10 – Roamed brilliantly and his cross set up Kovacic to put City ahead.
AM: Ilkay Gundogan – 5/10 – Missed some good chances he created with his recent runs into the box.
LW: Jack Grealish – 5/10 – He was always looking to probe and dribble, although his end product was usually lacking.
ST: Erling Haaland – 5/10 – A quieter afternoon for the great Norwegian than I would have expected. He couldn’t hit the back of the net and looked a little isolated at points.
Substitutes
SUB: Kyle Walker (62′ for Akanji) – 5/10
SUB: Jeremy Doku (62′ for Grealish) – 7/10 – Showed great feet to dive inside and fire in what turned out to be the winner.
SUB: John Stones (78′ for Foden) – N/A
SUB: Matheus Nunes (89′ for Gundogan) – N/A
Subs not used: Scott Carson (GK), Stefan Ortega (GK), James McAtee, Savinho.
manager
Pep Guardiola – 6/10 – His team still looks a bit unbalanced without Rodri and he might have been made to pay for it another day.
GK: Bernd Leno – 5/10 – Made some saves from chances that should have been finished off by City’s forwards. His long forward throws were often inaccurate.
RB: Alex Iwobi – 6/10 – The career and future of the Nigerian international showed that Fulham wanted a positive result. Dribbled well and stuck defensively out.
CB: Kenny Tete – 5/10 – Tried some tough tactics in defense and was part of an admirable effort at the back for the visitors.
CB: Joachim Andersen – 4/10 – A bit too sloppy on the ball and was probably Fulham’s best performing defender on the day.
CB: Calvin Bassey – 5/10 – I always tried to play forward, making five passes in the attacking third, but I was booked for being too enthusiastic at the back.
LB: Antonee Robinson – 6/10 – Showed tireless running to assist in attack in addition to his defensive duties.
RW: Andreas Pereira – 7/10 – Stuck in the box to great effect, latching on to Jimenez’s strike to finish. He didn’t get involved as much as he would have liked other than that, but he still related well here and there.
CM: Sander Berge – 5/10 – Did his job of doing the heavy lifting in midfield, but offered little else.
CM: Sasa Lukic – 5/10 – Also tried to be combative in the middle and wasn’t too wasteful in possession.
LW: Adama Troare – 6/10 – He has dominated at the Etihad before and had the chances Fulham needed to get a positive result. However, he has not been able to take advantage in crucial moments.
ST: Raúl Jiménez – 6/10 – Had the awareness to pick Pereira with a bold back-heel, adding an assist to his three La Liga goals so far this season.
Substitutes
SUB: Emile Smith Rowe (65′ for Pereira) – 6/10
SUB: Tom Cairney (65′ for Berge) – 5/10
SUB: Reiss Nelson (77′ for Iwobi) – 7/10
SUB: Rodrigo Muniz (77′ for Jimenez) – 7/10
SUB: Timothy Castagne (77′ for Tete) – N/A
Subs not used: Steven-Andreas Benda (GK), Issa Diop, Harrison Reed, Harry Wilson.
manager
Marc Silva – 6/10 – His team stayed in the game for long periods and will have been disappointed not to have made more of their chances.
