Manchester City narrowly defeated Fulham 5-4 in a Premier League match, with Erling Haaland scoring his 100th league goal early on. Further goals from Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden extended their lead before Emile Smith-Rowe pulled one back for Fulham before the break.
Manchester City secured a tense 5-4 victory against Fulham in a Premier League spectacle, which saw Pep Guardiola’s side almost squander a commanding lead.
After surging ahead 5-1 early in the second half, the Citizens suffered a drastic collapse, barely managing to hold on to claim the crucial three points.
Phil Foden once again shone, securing two exceptional goals, while Erling Haaland hit a personal milestone. This is how the City players fared:
Donnarumma: 4
The goalkeeper managed several respectable stops, and while he could do little to prevent some of the goals, allowing four to cross the line will undoubtedly be a source of frustration for him.
Matheus Nunes: 5
Demonstrated an eagerness to push forward down the right flank, actively contributing to offensive movements and combining with Foden and Silva.
Ruben Dias: 5
Was occasionally caught out of position, notably failing to hold the defensive line and playing Fulham players onside, contributing to the defensive instability during City’s late-game jitters.
Josko Gvardiol: 5
At times in the second half, his level of commitment seemed to drop, resulting in him being caught out of position and offering Fulham chances to gain momentum.
Nico O’Reilly: 5
While his forward play was impressive, he was noticeably missing from defensive coverage on several occasions when his presence was critically needed.
Nico Gonzalez: 7
Executed his role effectively by positioning himself well to protect the back line and was withdrawn from the match before the widespread defensive breakdown occurred.
Bernardo Silva: 6
He was on the receiving end of stern words from Dias after failing to adequately mark Chukwueze, who scored Fulham’s third goal, and appeared to lose control of his influence on the match thereafter.
Tijjani Reijnders: 7
Found the net with a superb strike and played a significant part in creating City’s fourth goal, though his energy levels visibly waned as Fulham mounted a strong finish.
Jeremy Doku: 8
Provided a crisp assist for the opening goal, was instrumental in creating the fifth, and was sensibly substituted before Fulham’s resurgence truly gained momentum.
Phil Foden: 8
Delivered another exceptional performance, dominating play in the central areas and converting two spectacular opportunities into goals.
Erling Haaland: 8
Scored a landmark goal, registered two assists, consistently engaged in a tough physical duel with the Fulham defenders, and showed renewed sharpness, suggesting he could have easily added more goals to his tally.