Manchester City followed up their hard-fought 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield with a routine 3-0 win over Fulham at the Etihad Stadium last night. Three first half goals in 15 minutes from Antoine Semenyo, Nico O’Reilly, and Erling Haaland sealed a valuable three points for Pep Guardiola’s side in a must-win Premier League fixture. Looking at City’s overall performance last night, there was plenty to suggest in the opening 40 minutes that the picture is coming together for Pep Guardiola’s side. There were plenty of positives to take from a routine win for Manchester City last night.
Manchester City gave Fulham no room to breathe in the first half last night.
Throughout the first 40 minutes of last night’s match against Fulham, Manchester City were up for the occasion. They were determined to back up their win over Liverpool with another victory over Fulham. It was clear early on that Pep Guardiola’s side was eager to put Fulham away early last night. You could see that City were eager to gain control of last night’s match from kickoff. They did exactly that from the early stages of Manchester City’s 3-nil win.
Pep Guardiola’s side pressed Fulham with a fierce desire. They wouldn’t allow Marco Silva’s side to play out from the back. City targeted Fulham keeper Bernd Leno every time he had possession. Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Antoine Semenyo, Phil Foden, Nico O’Reilly, and Rodri pressed Leno and any other Fulham defender who had possession with vigor. They didn’t allow Fulham to settle, and that stood out throughout the first 40 minutes of last night’s match.
Manchester City scored three goals in 15 minutes to effectively settle last night’s match. The second goal Pep Guardiola’s side scored was a thing of beauty. It was a typical City goal as they played out from the back and tore Fulham to shreds.
Manchester City’s second goal was straight out of Pep Guardiola’s playbook.
A neat piece of play between Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias found Matheus Nunes at right-back. Nunes saw off a challenge from Raul Jiménez and surged up the pitch. Nunes played a superb ball to Erling Haaland, who saw off a challenge from Joachim Andersen and played the ball to Nico O’Reilly in midfield. O’Reilly played the ball out wide to Antoine Semenyo before continuing his run forward. Semenyo surged forward at a stretched Fulham defence and then played a clever ball back to Nico O’Reilly on his left. O’Reilly beat Bernd Leno with a sublime chipped finish to give City a 2-nil lead. It was a typical City goal from years gone by, and it showed that Pep Guardiola’s side is beginning to grow together and grasp the concepts that Pep Guardiola demands from his team in possession.
Manchester City’s second half performance dropped off but the game was won.
The elephant in the room regarding this Manchester City team is their performances in the second half of matches. City have struggled to maintain their high level of play from the first half of matches into the second half. That occurred last night against Fulham, but there did seem to be mitigating circumstances for that rather than being a follow-up to a recent trend.
Manchester City played an intense game against Liverpool only three days before they played Fulham. Players such as Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes, and Rodri were substituted early in the second half last night. All three players were clearly tired, and with Bernardo and Rodri off the pitch, City’s intensity did drop. That was understandable and to be expected after City’s win at Anfield. So rather than last night’s second half performance being a cause for concern, it was clear that Pep Guardiola’s side took their foot off the gas to manage last night’s match. Yes, Fulham had their moments in the second half, but at no point did it seem like City would squander a three-goal lead against Marco Silva’s side.
For me, it does seem that this Manchester City side is beginning to put the picture together. There were plenty of positives to take from the first 40 minutes of City’s win over Fulham, especially in regards to City’s high press and their play in possession. Those positives far outweigh any negatives from last night’s match, and it does seem that City are beginning to build momentum ahead of a critical phase of the 25/26 season.