Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Paul MacInnes at Craven Cottage

Manchester City hold off heroic Fulham fightback to win nine-goal epic

Phil Foden celebrates after scoring Manchester City’s fourth goal against Fulham.
Phil Foden scored twice in Manchester City’s thrilling victory at Craven Cottage. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Fancy a bit of history? Under the floodlights of this storied old ground you were welcome to take your pick. The inevitable Erling Haaland smashed through the 100-goal barrier and a Premier League record. Phil Foden scored his second double in four days. City raced to a 5-1 lead before an hour was even on the clock only for Fulham to come agonisingly close to parity by the end. All of that resulted in the seventh highest-scoring match in three ­decades of the Premier League. Not bad.

The pendulum swung throughout the contest in movements big and small. City set off with gusto and looked to have sealed the result with two short spells of dominance before and after half-time. But Fulham had more shots and more possession and were in charge of the match from the moment Alex Iwobi calmly scored their second 12 minutes into the second half. City have the points on the board in their ongoing pursuit of Arsenal, they could not disguise defensive vulnerabilities. Fulham, meanwhile, were unable to halt a run of defeats against City that now runs to an astonishing 19, but yet showed they could compete with anyone.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.