At the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City delivered a commanding performance against Fulham, securing a 3-0 victory in front of their home fans during matchday 26 of the Premier League. Antoine Semenyo opened the scoring with a strike in the 23rd minute, putting the Citizens ahead early. Minutes later, at the 29th mark, Nico O’Reilly doubled the lead with a well-executed goal from open play. City continued to press, and by the 38th minute, Erling Haaland found the back of the net, capping off a brilliant first half.
Haaland’s goal, a stunning finish placed low to the left of the keeper, came after a precise assist from Phil Foden, earning the striker raving applause from the crowd.
Rodri showcased an impressive performance, completing 118 successful passes and reclaiming possession on three occasions. Likewise, Nico O’Reilly excelled, contributing a goal, achieving 54 accurate passes, and attempting three shots throughout the match.
Manchester City’s manager, Josep Guardiola, deployed his team in a 4-3-3 formation, featuring Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal; Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Marc Guéhi, and Rayan Ait Nouri in the defense; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, and Nico O’Reilly in midfield; and a front three of Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, and Antoine Semenyo.
On the other side, Fulham, led by Marco Saraiva da Silva, set up in a 4-5-1 formation with Bernd Leno guarding the net; Kenny Tete, Joachim Andersen, Calvin Bassey, and Ryan Sessegnon making up the defense; Alex Iwobi, Sander Berge, Harry Wilson, Emile Smith Rowe, and Samuel Chukwueze controlling the midfield; and Raúl Jiménez as the lone striker.
The match was officiated by referee Paul Tierney.
Looking ahead, Manchester City will face Newcastle United in their next home game, while Fulham travels to play against Sunderland. With this victory, City solidifies their position in the league standings, currently sitting in second place with 53 points, while Fulham remains in twelfth place with 34 points.
Substitutions for Manchester City
45’ 2T – Erling Haaland replaced by Omar Marmoush
58’ 2T – Bernardo Silva replaced by Tijjani Reijnders
59’ 2T – Matheus Nunes came off for Abdukodir Khusanov, Raúl Jiménez substituted for Rodrigo Muniz, and Samuel Chukwueze was replaced by Kevin Santos
70’ 2T – Rodri substituted by Nicolás Gonzalez and Phil Foden off for Rayan Cherki
Cautions for Manchester City:
41’ 1T – Bernardo Silva (Unsporting behavior)
20’ 2T – Phil Foden (Unsporting behavior)
37’ 2T – Nicolás Gonzalez (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for Fulham
60’ 2T – Emile Smith Rowe replaced by Joshua King
71’ 2T – Harry Wilson came off for Oscar Bobb
80’ 2T – Sander Berge substituted for Harrison Reed
Caution for Fulham:
31’ 1T – Joachim Andersen (Unsporting behavior)