Manchester City got back to winning ways on Saturday, but they had to overcome a first-half deficit to do so, as they beat Fulham 3-2 at Etihad Stadium.
WATCH MANCHESTER CITY vs FULHAM FULL MATCH REPLAY
After dropping points against Arsenal and Newcastle the last two weeks, Pep Guardiola’s side was once again sluggish out of the starting blocks before Mateo Kovacic powered the comeback almost immediately. Andreas Pereira finished a brilliant flick from Raul Jimenez for the opening goal in the 26th minute, but Manchester City were level six minutes later when Kovacic struck from just inside the penalty area.
He did so again just two minutes into the second half to give Man City the lead for the first time. City also led against Arsenal and Newcastle, but were unable to make it a two-goal advantage and eventually were made to pay. Not the case on Saturday, and it was a very good thing for them. Jeremy Doku snuck a right-footed curler just under the crossbar for 3-1 in the 82nd minute. A bit of breathing room they would inevitably need, as Rodrigo Muniz crashed the box and hammered Reiss Nelson’s cross to make it 3-2 in the 88th.
Man City might just have to outscore teams for a little bit — which is fine with them
City have now conceded four goals in (most of) three games since Rodri tore his ACL and will thus miss the rest of the season. Kovacic is next man up at the heart of midfield, and the Croatian delivered the goods with a pair of goals to go with a more attacking mindset as the main defensive midfielder in the time. Unfortunately, that has left City’s defense far more exposed than they typically are, which means they are either punished for taking too many risks or forced to drop off and leave the attack shorter on numbers. It’s a constant balance that coaches are trying to strike, but when you have Rodri in the team you have almost an infinite room for error. You take Rodri out of the team — even this team — and things get really interesting really quickly.
Player ratings - Manchester City vs Fulham
What’s next?
- Wolves vs Manchester City - Sunday, Oct. 20 (after the international break)
- Fulham vs Aston Villa - Saturday, Oct. 19
Manchester City vs Fulham updates - by Andy Edwards
Man City vs Fulham final score: 3-2
Goalscorers: Andrea Pereira (26'), Mateo Kovacic (32', 47'), Jeremy Doku (82'), Rodrigo Muniz (88')
GOAL! Man City 3-2 Fulham: Rodrigo Muniz makes it close at the end (88')
GOAL! Man City 3-1 Fulham: Jeremy Doku provides a bit of breathing room (82')
GOAL! Man City 2-1 Fulham: Mateo Kovacic strikes again right after halftime (47')
GOAL! Man City 1-1 Fulham: Mateo Kovacic strikes from the edge of the box (32')
GOAL! Man City 0-1 Fulham: Andreas Pereira finishes after Raul Jimenez provides an outrageous flick (26')
Man City starting lineup
Ederson - Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiola - Kovacic, Gundogan, Foden - Silva, Grealish, Haaland
Fulham starting lineup
Leno - Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson - Berge, Lukc, Pereira - Traore, Iwobi, Jimenez
How to watch Manchester City vs Fulham live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10am ET Saturday
Venue: Etihad Stadium
TV Channel: Peacock Premium
Streaming: Premier League on Peacock
Manchester City focus, team news
City had little trouble in Slovakia, beating Bratislava 4-0, and they were able to rest Mateo Kovacic, Ederson, and Bernardo Silva while using Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker, and Jack Grealish for under a half-hour.
OUT: Rodri (knee - out for season), Oscar Bobb (lower leg), Nathan Ake (thigh), Kevin De Bruyne (groin)
Fulham focus, team news
The Cottagers have a number of playmakers. New face Emile Smith Rowe has been rightfully getting his flowers, but Andreas Pereira ranks in the Premier League’s top five for key passes per game. And USMNT left back Antonee Robinson has become of the very best at his position.
OUT: Carlos Vinicius (calf), Jorge Cuenca (ankle)
Manchester City vs Fulham prediction
The Cottagers have done a good job replacing Palhinha, and they’ll feel they can contest the middle of the park with Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne missing for City. Can Fulham fire out of the gates and get a lead at the Etihad? Maybe, but City may have been able to use their midweek trip to bounded out of its mini-funk (two draws). Man City 2-0 Fulham.
