With that, today’s footballing day is done. Here’s the match report again. Bye!
Pep Guardiola thinks “all the team was brilliant”:
Great performance. We were brilliant. Important victory for us. Eight games left, and we are closer. At half-time we were brilliant. This team in the last few games they conceded few goals, and in this stadium it’s so difficult, and we made a good game. Now we have three weeks until the next game in the Premier League. Now we have two finals, in the Champions League and the FA Cup, but we are ready. All the team today was brilliant.
City’s second and third goals were, from a Fulham perspective, absolutely hideous. Not every side pressures the player in possession the way City do, but that can’t excuse the way Fulham twice caved in, first as Andersen hoofed a clearance into a teammate and Jesus snaffled the rebound, and then as Tosin Adarabioyo tried a bizarre backheel as Torres closed him down and then conceded a penalty. With a bit of effort they can get some reassurance from the fact that City only scored from a set piece and two defensive howlers, but on the other hand, those were really howly howlers.
Jacob Steinberg has filed his match report from Craven Cottage:
The scary thought for the rest of the Premier League is that Manchester City were not even at their best. It made no difference. Pep Guardiola experimented and City took a while to find their groove but the contest was over with half an hour remaining. Barring an extraordinary collapse, the title is surely theirs.
It was brutal from City once they had located the cracks in Fulham’s armour. John Stones started the deluge at the start of the second half. Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Agüero piled on the pain. City, who have won 23 of their last 24 games in all competitions, were relentless with and without the ball. Fulham were not allowed to compete.
Much more here:
John Stones is pleased. “The game was really difficult,” he says. “Give a lot of credit to Fulham. The way they play their football, I don’t think it reflects where they are in the table. Strong opposition, played well and made it difficult for us in the first half. We were trying everything.”
The bottom of the Premier League this evening, with Fulham still very much in the survival battle even if they would prefer it if they were the ones with games in hand.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Newcastle | 28 | -17 | 28 |
| 17 | Brighton | 27 | -8 | 26 |
| 18 | Fulham | 29 | -14 | 26 |
| 19 | West Brom | 29 | -37 | 18 |
| 20 | Sheff Utd | 28 | -29 | 14 |
The top of the Premier League this evening, with Manchester City over the hills and far away:
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 30 | 43 | 71 |
| 2 | Man Utd | 28 | 23 | 54 |
| 3 | Leicester | 28 | 16 | 53 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 29 | 19 | 51 |
| 5 | West Ham | 27 | 11 | 48 |
Final score: Fulham 0-2 Manchester City
90+3 mins: It’s all over, a near-perfect evening for the champions elect which ends with Manchester City another three points nearer the title!
90+1 mins: There will be something in the region of two minutes of stoppage time.
90 mins: City pass the ball about, feeling and indeed looking very superior.
86 mins: Since coming on Robinson has jinked his way into promising positions inside the penalty area a couple of times, only to give the ball away on both occasions without even looking for a pass, cross or shot.
85 mins: Chance for Fulham! Just as I write them off Mitrovic controls the ball well, uses his strength to hold off his marker and plays the perfect pass to release Onomah, but Laporte slides across to block his shot!
Updated
82 mins: City are absolutely dominant now, moving the ball well, completely relaxed, and playing a side that suddenly looks a little overkeen on defensive calamity.
80 mins: Fulham bring Tobinson on for Cavaleiro, and Parker grabs the departing player on his way to the bench for a quiet word. Fulham’s first half was encouraging, but the second has been dispiriting.
77 mins: Anguissa slips, and Rodri plays a first-time pass through to Aguero, but Tete tracks his run well and snaffles the ball.
75 mins: This is just perfect for City, who get to leave the likes of De Bruyne and Foden on the bench while deciding which of the starting line-up would most benefit from a bit of time off. Ruben Dias is the latest answer to that question, and Eric Garcia comes on.
73 mins: Josh Onomah comes on to replace Lemina.
72 mins: Ruben Dias thwacks a pass straight into touch, after the ball took a remarkable bobble inside the centre circle, just leaping into the air for no obvious reason as if someone had pushed a snooker cue out of the turf.
70 mins: Lemina has the ball on the edge of his area, and Fernandinho and Aguero close him down. He completely freezes, unsure what to do, and is extraordinarily lucky to benefit from a couple of ricochets and emerge with the ball still at his feet, rather than presenting City with an easy fourth.
67 mins: It’s damage limitation now for Fulham. City help their cause by taking the troublesome Bernardo Silva off, and bringing Fernandinho on.
417 - Sergio Agüero has ended a run of 13 appearances, 641 minutes of play and 24 shots without scoring in the Premier League, with his penalty against Fulham his first league goal since January 2020 v Sheff Utd, 417 days ago. Awaited. #FULMCI pic.twitter.com/klMMRZwPTL
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 13, 2021
63 mins: Aleksandar Mitrovic comes on for Fulham, replacing Loftus-Cheek.
GOAL! Fulham 0-3 Man City (Aguero penalty, 60 mins)
City have won this game within 15 minutes of the restart, and Aguero scores his first league goal of the season from the spot! He shoots low to his left, and though Areola goes the right way it’s powerful and accurate enough to get past him anyway.
Updated
60 mins: Penalty to Manchester City! It’s all going wrong for Fulham now, as Tosin throws a leg towards the ball as Torres shields it, and the City player goes down!
GOAL! Fulham 0-2 Man City (Jesus, 56 mins)
The first goal came from a free kick, the second was a freebie! Cavaleiro, midway inside his own half, passes back to Andersen, who stretches to try to clear, hits the ball into Cavaleiro and it rebounds to Jesus, who takes it round Areola and blasts it into the net!
Updated
53 mins: Another good run from Bernardo, though he only gets past Reed and Aina on the City right with the help of a couple of lucky bounces. He cuts infield, runs along the touchline, and pulls back to Rodri on the 18-yard line, whose first-time shot is straight at Areola.
51 mins: First Loftus-Cheek and then Lookman win free-kicks inside the City half, neither of which the leaders are very happy about. Cancelo in particular gets very stroppy about the second decision, but nothing comes of the set piece.
Only eight players (Gundogan, Kane, Aubameyang, Fernandes, Sterling, Mahrez, Maddison & Neves) have more Premier League goals in 2021 than John Stones.
— Richard Jolly (@RichJolly) March 13, 2021
48 mins: Fulham cross from the right, and Stones clears it with his left foot into his right foot, and is lucky to see the ball break to Ederson rather than the lurking Loftus-Cheek.
GOAL! Fulham 0-1 Man City (Stones, 47 mins)
City make the breakthrough, from a set piece! Cancelo’s delivery from the left is excellent and it bounces through to Stones, eight yards out, who doesn’t need to put any power on it and doesn’t attempt to, just guiding it back across Areola and into the side netting with a raised boot!
Updated
47 mins: During the half-time break, this happened:
Sheffield United confirms that Chris Wilder has left the Club by mutual consent.
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) March 13, 2021
46 mins: Fulham get the ball re-rolling.
The players are back out, and neither side is making any halftimely changes.
Another look at that Bernardo Silva run and shot in the 34th minute confirms that he mishit his shot, having manufactured for himself the best chance of the opening half. It may well be that running with the ball is more effective at breaking through the Fulham backline than alternative methods.
Half time: Fulham 0-0 Manchester City
45+2 mins: And that is half time. No goals, few chances, but really quite an engrossing watch.
45+1 mins: There will be one minute of stoppage time.
44 mins: Aguero snaffles Torres’s knockdown just outside Fulham’s area, sprints into it, and sends in a low shot that goes straight to Areola.
41 mins: Fulham try to pass the ball out of defence as City hunt them down, ending with Areola lifting a pass towards a completely marked Tete on the left. But an initially worrying pass ends up clearing Torres by inches, makes the keeper look like a genius and sends Fulham scampering upfield.
38 mins: City lift the ball down the right, where Torres is keener on winning a free-kick than using it, and Fulham end up with a free-kick.
34 mins: Chance! Bernardo Silva picks up the ball 10 yards beyond the right-hand corner of the area and dances into it, leaving defenders trailing in his wake, terrified of making contact, and finally shoots towards the near post where Areola saves.
31 mins: A couple of good minutes for the home team, but they do insist on trying to find the 5ft 8in Lookman with crosses, which seems a tactic unlikely to succeed.
Updated
28 mins: Anguissa gets the ball inside the penalty area, but he seems astonished to be so close to goal with the ball at his feet, spends too long wondering what to do with it, and the chance is lost.
25 mins: Mendy thumps a cross into Tete, and the ball spins behind for a corner. City have so many options when they have the ball in attack, runners everywhere. Fulham’s defence seems properly coached and organised. The result is an increasingly lopsided but intriguing battle.
22 mins: Rodri’s pass finds Torres and Jesus running clear, but Fulham’s defensive line is very good, and they are both offside.
20 mins: City have started possession-hogging now, and also threatening goal. Torres plays Cancelo down the right, and his low cross towards Jesus is cut out by Areola.
18 mins: Chance for City! Torres is played in on the right of the area, but Areola saves his shot!
14 mins: When City have the ball Jesus and Aguero seem to be playing as a front two, with Torres wide on the right, rather than as a balanced three with Jesus on the left.
11 mins: City probe across the edge of the Fulham area, but the home defence holds firm.
Updated
8 mins: Anguissa gets the ball, just outside the City area, but he can’t pick the right pass.
4 mins: Chance for Fulham! Cavaleiro plays a lovely pass through to Lookman, who turns inside Laporte and onto his left foot. That’s where he had a chance to score, but instead of shooting with his left foot he turned back again onto his right, forcing himself too wide, and giving CIty a crucial half-second to get defenders around him.
2 mins: Fulham had a very promising opening 40 seconds, in which they ripped into City, attacked them down the right, and forced them into a couple of panicked clearances. Whatever else happens tonight, let it go on record that they had much the best of the opening minute.
1 min: Peeeeep! City, all in black, get the ball rolling.
There is a disappointing lack of noteworthy outerware on the City bench, but Scott Parker has stuck with the ill-fitting padded jacket thing that brought his team a win at Anfield last week.
The home side have turned up, happily.
Manchester City’s players are on their way out, with kick-off just five minutes away. No sign of Fulham, mind.
Scott Parker is “looking forward” to the challenge of facing the champions-elect:
Big challenge. Exactly the same as last week. Tonight the challenge is playing against a side that’s going to win the league this year. So a big challenge, but one we’re excited about, one we’re looking forward to. As always we’ve picked a team that can give Manchester City some problems, and that’s what we’re hoping for.
BT Sport think City will play with a front three, with Torres and Jesus on either side of Aguero. Others still prefer 3-5-2, with Torres and Bernardo Silva playing ahead of Rodri but behind Jesus and Aguero.
The teams!
The team news is in, and Fulham make two changes with Frank Anguissa and Ruben Loftus-Cheek coming in. Pep Guardiola meanwhile has been really busy, and he starts with Jesus and Aguero in (presumably) a front two, with De Bruyne, Mahrez, Foden and Gundogan all on the bench.
Fulham: Areola, Tete, Andersen, Adarabioyo, Aina, Zambo, Reed, Lemina, Loftus-Cheek, Ivan Cavaleiro, Lookman. Subs: Hector, Mitrovic, Ream, Bryan, Onomah, Maja, Kongolo, Ramirez, Robinson.
Man City: Ederson, Stones, Dias, Laporte, Joao Cancelo, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Mendy, Torres, Gabriel Jesus, Aguero. Subs: Walker, Gundogan, Zinchenko, Steffen, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Foden, Garcia.
Referee: Andre Marriner.
Scott makes a double change for the visit of the league leaders tonight ✌️#FULMCI pic.twitter.com/HFyHw28CLW
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) March 13, 2021
How we line up at Craven Cottage 👇
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 13, 2021
XI | Ederson, Cancelo, Stones, Dias, Laporte, Mendy, Rodrigo, Bernardo, Torres, Jesus, Aguero (C)
SUBS | Steffen, Walker, Gundogan, Zinchenko, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Foden, Garcia
📋 @HaysWorldwide
🔷 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/jHNbKLWlxe
Hello world!
Six days after they went to Anfield, home of last season’s champions, and emerged with three precious points, Fulham host Manchester City, champions of the season before last and in all likelihood also of this season. City’s ludicrous winning run ended last weekend at the hands of Manchester United, and their veneer of perfection was damaged. Whether Fulham, a poor team in reasonable form - two defeats in 10, one of which they should really have drawn - are capable of further scuffing their sheen remains to be seen. But if Scott Parker’s side could so much as draw they would move out of the bottom three for the first time this calendar year, at least until Brighton play Southampton tomorrow, and give themselves very rational hopes of survival. It’s desperation v inspiration, either of which can provide very decent entertainment, so I for one am optimistic. Welcome!
