Manchester City vs Fulham Review: Kovačić shines as Man City triumph Fulham at the Etihad

Published on:

Manchester City vs Fulham Review

Manchester City came from behind for the fourth consecutive time in a Premier League home match this season, overcoming a 1-0 deficit to defeat Fulham 3-2 and maintain their unbeaten start in the league.

Manchester City vs Fulham Review: Pep Guardiola reacts on the side line during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Fulham at Etihad Stadium on October 5, 2024.
Manchester City vs Fulham Review: Pep Guardiola reacts on the side line during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Fulham at Etihad Stadium on October 5, 2024.

Both İlkay Gündoğan and Erling Haaland had close chances in the early moments, but it was Fulham who created a clear opportunity. Raúl Jiménez’s skillful outside-of-the-boot pass set up Adama Traoré, but Ederson’s legs kept the score level. However, this was only a brief stay for the hosts, as they soon fell behind when Jiménez’s clever flick set up Andreas Pereira to volley Fulham into the lead.

Manchester City vs Fulham Review: Andreas Pereira scores whilst under pressure from Manuel Akanji during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Fulham at Etihad Stadium on October 5, 2024.
Manchester City vs Fulham Review: Andreas Pereira scores whilst under pressure from Manuel Akanji during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Fulham at Etihad Stadium on October 5, 2024.

The visitors nearly doubled their lead shortly after when a quick counterattack ended with Alex Iwobi setting up Traoré, who unfortunately shot over the bar. Marco Silva’s side regretted that missed opportunity just moments later when Mateo Kovačić’s powerful shot from the edge of the box deflected off Joachim Andersen into the net and helped City to equalize.

Manchester City vs Fulham Review: Mateo Kovacic scores during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Fulham at Etihad Stadium on October 5, 2024.
Manchester City vs Fulham Review: Mateo Kovacic scores during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Fulham at Etihad Stadium on October 5, 2024.

Kovačić scored again just two minutes into the second half by placing a shot into the corner from the edge of the area. However, similar to the first half, Fulham nearly responded when Traoré chased a hopeful ball behind the defense, but once again, Ederson denied him with a save. The Cottagers kept pressing and came close again when a last-minute block prevented Jiménez from scoring in his fourth consecutive Premier League match.

Manchester City vs Fulham Review: Mateo Kovacic celebrates during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Fulham at Etihad Stadium on October 5, 2024.
Manchester City vs Fulham Review: Mateo Kovacic celebrates during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Fulham at Etihad Stadium on October 5, 2024.

Manchester City sealed the win when Jérémy Doku cut in from the left and fired a powerful shot into the top-right corner, leaving Bernd Leno with no chance. Fulham managed to give themselves a glimmer of hope late in the game when Rodrigo Muniz turned in the box and scored in the top corner, but it was merely a consolation goal. City maintained their unbeaten league streak, extending it to 30 matches, and their impressive home record without a loss in competitive matches within 90 minutes now reaches an incredible 50 games.

Related

Leave a Reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here