Manchester City had to fight back from behind to secure a 3-2 victory over a wasteful Fulham at the Etihad Stadium, keeping the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Fulham took an early lead through a moment of brilliance. Antonee Robinson whipped in a dangerous cross, which Alex Iwobi expertly kept alive in the box.
Iwobi then slipped a clever pass to Raul Jimenez, who executed a stunning back-heel flick, wrong-footing Manuel Akanji and setting up Andreas Pereira for a smooth finish past Ederson.
The clever play completely caught City’s defense off guard, as Pereira calmly slotted the ball into the net.
Despite Fulham’s advantage, City responded swiftly, just after Adama Traore squandered a golden chance to double the visitors’ lead.
From an Ilkay Gundogan corner, the ball ricocheted off Traore and landed perfectly for Mateo Kovacic, who seized the opportunity and fired a shot that deflected off Joachim Andersen, leaving Bernd Leno helpless. City was back in the game.
After the break, the home side wasted no time in taking control. Kovacic, allowed too much space on the edge of Fulham’s penalty area, coolly curled a precise shot into Leno’s right corner, giving City a crucial lead. Once in front, the champions rarely looked back.
Jeremy Doku came on as a second-half substitute and added a third for City, scoring with a spectacular long-range effort that swerved into the top-right corner, putting the game beyond Fulham’s reach.
However, the visitors didn’t go down without a fight, as Rodrigo Muniz netted late on to give them a glimmer of hope.
Fulham, despite their energetic display, were left ruing missed chances—three in total, including two from Traore—finishing with a higher expected goals than Guardiola’s side.
Nonetheless, City held on, leaving Fulham wondering what could have been after a game where their finishing didn’t match their creativity.
