The illusion of competitiveness is fading fast. Manchester City remain on course to win their fifth title in six seasons and, while Fulham made life uncomfortable for Pep Guardiola’s side during a fiery encounter at Craven Cottage, the prospect of Arsenal being allowed to regain control of the race feels slim now that the champions are finally peering down at the rest of the Premier League.
Arsenal, of course, will tell themselves that anything is possible. They can regain top spot by beating Chelsea on Tuesday and maybe Mikel Arteta will try to motivate his side by telling them he saw the first signs of City choking against Fulham.
Perhaps a second half in which Rúben Dias was lucky not to give away a penalty for a challenge on Bobby Decordova-Reid, Jack Grealish was fortunate not to be sent off and City ended up eating up time by taking the ball to the corner was proof that the race is not over yet.
Yet that is the difference between champions and challengers. No doubt Fulham had made City sweat, succeeding where Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Liverpool had failed. Marco Silva’s side fought hard and refused to bow to the inevitable after Erling Haaland, continuing his remarkable season by becoming the first top-flight player since 1931 to score 50 goals in all competitions, converted a penalty in the fourth minute.
Fulham stayed strong, their combative approach typified by João Palhinha’s power in midfield, Carlos Vinícius bringing the game alive with a fine equaliser. There was relief for City when Julián Álvarez, whipping in a beauty from 25 yards, restored their lead in the 37th minute. The heat was on and they responded with quality. Kevin De Bruyne was missing with a minor fitness issue and, while the attacking rhythms were not as smooth in the Belgian’s absence, Álvarez took his chance after coming into the starting lineup.
That depth of talent gives City the edge. So does their maturity. A less experienced team – Arsenal, say – may well have wilted in the face of Fulham’s pressure, but City know how to win. Late on Bernardo Silva, just on as a substitute, was haring back to stop Kenny Tete charging forward. Haaland was giving away tactical fouls and, when it was over, Grealish was cupping his ears at the home fans who had spent the entire second half giving him grief. City, ultimately, have seen and heard it all. That defiance could well carry them to the treble.
At least Fulham, who are weighed down by injuries and suspensions, made a contest of it. It had looked ominous when City, who have a game in hand on Arsenal, moved through the gears in the second minute. Grealish picked out Riyad Mahrez with a crossfield pass, the winger cushioned the ball down and Tim Ream, who would later depart with a broken arm, brought Álvarez down. There were 89 seconds on the clock and there were no protests from Fulham. It all felt very straightforward when Haaland drilled a low, hard penalty past Bernd Leno.
The statistics came flooding in. It was Haaland’s 34th goal in 32 league games, equalling the records set by Andy Cole in 1993-94 and Alan Shearer in 1994-95. A reminder: the division contained 22 teams when Cole and Shearer were banging them in.
There is no end to Haaland’s appetite for goals, though the Norwegian has also been honing the other parts of his game under Guardiola. After 14 minutes he turned creator, releasing Grealish, who let Fulham off the hook by shooting straight at Leno.
Out of nowhere, though, Fulham offered some resistance. Antonee Robinson, who struggled at left-back, lifted the intensity when he raced back to tackle Mahrez. The crowd needed to see that defiance.
Fulham’s equaliser exposed the one drawback of City leaving three defenders back and instructing John Stones to push into midfield. The risks became clear when Andreas Pereira caught them out with a lovely flighted pass to Harry Wilson. Fulham had located the glitch in the system. Manuel Akanji had dozed off. Dias ran round in a circle. Wilson stayed cool. He laid it off to Vinícius and the striker fired past Ederson.
City came straight back. Fulham were competing, but they were on the edge. Leno pushed Grealish’s shot on to the bar and Álvarez turned the rebound wide. Operating behind Haaland, Álvarez was a constant threat. It feels ridiculous that he is not a regular. Álvarez is such a sharp finisher and he made Fulham pay when they allowed him to wriggle into space. His bending shot gave Leno no chance.
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Yet City were edgy. Leno denied İlkay Gündogan, Haaland and Álvarez but Fulham were a nuisance. Safe in mid-table, they enjoyed rattling City. Vinícius almost got in after a defensive calamity. DeCordova-Reid shot over and appealed for a penalty after a shove from Dias. Tete and Grealish were booked after an angry clash.
By the end Stones had stepped back into central defence and City were seeing it out. They host West Ham on Wednesday and on this performance their momentum shows no sign of slowing down.
