Julian Alvarez scored the decisive goal to help Man City produce one of the narrow football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. In the lead-up to the game, Fulham manager Marco Silva had referred to Manchester City as “clearly the best team in the Premier League.” Tim Ream’s poor challenge gave Erling Haaland the opportunity to reach 50 goals for the season. In the 15th minute at Craven Cottage, Carlos Vinicius equalized against the flow of play when Bernd Leno barely blinked before his penalty shot was converted.
Fulham started to gain control of the game, but Alvarez, who started in place of the injured Kevin De Bruyne, gave City the lead back before halftime with a spectacular shot in the 36th minute. Fulham had two penalty appeals denied during a tumultuous second period, and if City is to succeed in their pursuit of this historic treble, they will have to overcome challenging tasks like these. Pep Guardiola appeared relieved as he gave Haaland a lengthy hug after the final whistle. As a consequence, City surpasses Arsenal by a point at the top for the first time since February 17 and still has a game in hand against West Ham on Wednesday. Fulham, meanwhile, stays in tenth position with 45 points.
The main story before to the event was De Bruyne’s absence. Guardiola stated that his midfield metronome did not “feel good,” but he would not say when he anticipated the Belgian to return. It did not stop City from getting off to a fast start. As City took the lead early on thanks to a penalty kick, Haaland scored his 50th goal of the season, his 34th in the Premier League. After Ream had knocked down Alvarez, the Norwegian striker blasted past Leno.
Harry Wilson deflected Andreas Pereira’s flighted ball into the box into Vinicius’s path, and the latter finished past a helpless Ederson. Leno did a fantastic job of deflecting Jack Grealish’s attempt onto the crossbar, but City regained the lead in the 36th minute when Alvarez received a ball from Riyad Mahrez, outmuscled Joao Palhinha, and curled an incredible 25-yard shot into the top corner. Within two minutes of the restart, City nearly doubled its lead. Alvarez was the architect this time as he replaced the injured Ream, who is sidelined for the rest of the games due to a broken arm, with Grealish. Grealish’s cross was met by Haaland, but Leno handled it superbly.
Manuel Akanji was taken to the hospital on a stretcher after being injured in a brutal collision between Pereira and Akanji for Fulham, but Tom Cairney was brought in to continue the fight. As Ederson smothered at Vinicius’ falling feet, Leno kept the hosts in the game by saving from Alvarez before a flashpoint in the City penalty area drew penalty claims. While coming and making no claims, Ederson most certainly had not covered himself in glory, but referee Simon Hooper was unmoved. Bobby Decordova-Reid capitalized on Akanji’s careless clearing to miss the target with a long shot. City had just one shot on goal after the 51st minute.
“We knew it was [one of the hardest games] without a doubt. We always came off a winning streak because Arsenal didn’t lose any ground and it seemed like the only goal was to defeat Arsenal. However, if you play that game, you might lose a little,” Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said. “I was blind to that descent. Both sides’ grass was dry, making it challenging to establish a rhythm, but we gained momentum. The major change from the past is that we adequately defended ourselves. We had a little bit of difficulty, but it is typical, and my main worry is how we will recover. Every three days, we play a lot of games, and that is typical. Winning games makes us quicker and more willing to take on challenges. There is no need for a leader among these players. They are aware of what must be done.”
“Losing is never easy to take, but today’s worst moment had nothing to do with performance or outcome and everything to do with the two guys who were hurt. The worst impression we have of the game is that they both appear serious. Tim Ream will not be able to participate this season due to an arm injury. This is incredibly difficult to accept.” Fulham boss Marco Silva said.
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