Fulham vs Manchester City summary: Haaland record, score, goals, highlights | Premier League
Fulham 1-2 Manchester City: as it happened
Full time: Fulham 1-2 Manchester City
I did not anticipate that match – or any Manchester City match for that matter – turning into such a scrappy affair. Pep Guardiola’s men get the job done but were nowhere near their best against a spirited but ultimately blunt Fulham side.
It looked as if the visitors might well cruise to victory after Erling Haaland’s record-equalling goal from the penalty spot inside two minutes. City were the more threatening side throughout the first half, particularly as a result of diagonal balls to Jack Grealish on the left, yet they were pegged back as Vinicius volleyed the hosts level with their first attempt of the game.
Bernd Leno made superb stops to deny Grealish and Ilkay Gündogan but was helpless to stop Julian Álvarez’s excellent long-range strike from putting City back in front with under 10 minutes of the half left to play.
Fulham did enough in the first half to suggest they could make a game of it in the second and although their energetic approach unsettled their opponents’ defence on a number of occasions, opportunities to score were few and far between. Ederson didn’t have a single save to make, but did have to intervene to thwart Vinicius after misjudging a high ball, while Bobby Decordova-Reid optimistically shot wide from long-range.
Haaland and Álvarez forced Leno into two more fine saves in the early part of the half but City’s threat waned as the half wore on and they created precious little in the final quarter. With neither side at their attacking best, the prospect of a fourth goal looked more and more remote as the final whistle approached, and so it proved.
Haaland and City's day in the Premier League
So, a big day for Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. We'll have more reaction to the Norwegian equally another Premier League record and the Sky Blues going top of the table across AS USA in the coming hours!
Today's other Premier League results:
Bournemouth 4-1 Leeds United
Manchester United 1-0 Aston Villa
Newcastle United 3-1 Southampton
Manchester United and Newcastle strengthen their grip on the Champions League places, while Bournemouth are all but safe after a win over relegation rivals Leeds, who are teetering above the relegation zone. Southampton, unfortunately, look doomed.
No change for Fulham
A defeat isn't exactly the end of the world for Fulham, who are unlikely to make up the nine-point gap to the Europa League spot and are already safe from relegation.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 52 | 31 | 15 | 7 | 9 |
| 9 | 50 | 34 | 12 | 14 | 8 |
| 10 | 45 | 33 | 13 | 6 | 14 |
| 11 | 40 | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 |
| 12 | 39 | 32 | 10 | 9 | 13 |
Manchester City the new Premier League leaders
It wasn't pretty but Manchester City are top of the tree! They are now one point clear of Arsenal and have a game in hand. Pep Guardiola will want them to play better than they did today in the remaining games of the season though. It could be a slog if they don't.
Arsenal can actually get back above the Sky Blues by defeating Chelsea on Tuesday.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 76 | 32 | 24 | 4 | 4 |
| 2 | 75 | 33 | 23 | 6 | 4 |
| 3 | 65 | 33 | 18 | 11 | 4 |
| 4 | 63 | 32 | 19 | 6 | 7 |
| 5 | 54 | 33 | 16 | 6 | 11 |
A corner for City and that should be that...
Tete is almost asking for a second yellow card as he shoves Haaland after the whistle has gone. It looks as if he's got away with it though.
We've had almost half of the injury time and City have been in absolutely no danger of conceding. Not that they are passing them ball around Fulham. Quite a bizarre end to this game, with both teams struggling.
It's hard to see a goal coming at either end at the moment. Neither side are able to keep the ball for any length of time and neither have threatened for at least the last 10 minutes.
Right on cue. Eight minutes extra to be played.
There's really not much going on out there at the moment, other than a midfield scrap. There should be plenty of added time after that injury to Pereira though.
This has really turned into a very un-Manchester City-like game. Still ,no sign of a Fulham equaliser...
Fulham have turned this into a bit of a scrap, which is probably not a bad idea against City. This could go either way in the closing stages.
Foden is playing the 'Mahrez role' on the right, with Bernardo in a central position. City are already keeping the ball better since they came on.
First changes for City
Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva replace Álvarez and Mahrez.
Decent options to have on the bench, it has to be said.
Fulham were building a bit of momentum there and keeping the ball well until Diop fired a pass to Robinson out of play. Much to City's relief, I should add.
A fine piece of play down the Fulham left allows Robinson to hit the goal line but his cross is easily cleared.
Don't give up hope yet, Arsenal fans. Fulham look like they could get a second.
Triple Fulham change
James, Lukic and Solomon on.
Decordova-Reid, Wilson and Reed off.
Five subs for Fulham, none for City.
Fulham have played more direct in the second half and it's paid off...to a certain extent. A long ball drops to Decordova-Reid, who tries his luck from almost 30 yards. The ball flew fairly comfortably wide but that didn't stop Ederson from making a Hollwyood dive.
Keep an eye on Tete vs Grealish in the last 20 minutes or so. The defender has just left another one on the City attacker...
City back on the attack and a bit of pinball in the Fulham box sees Haaland and Akanji play head tennis before Leno plucks the ball out of the air.
I've managed to see a replay of that penalty incident and Walker did put his hands on Decordova-Reid. Was it enough for a penalty? Maybe not quite but you've seen them given.
This has flared right up! Tete and Grealish get involved in some off-the-ball nonsense on halfway. Yellow card apiece.
All of a sudden, City are all over the place at the back. Fulham hunt the away defence down and Decordova-Reid looks to be all alone right in front of goal, but appears to be held back just as he's about to shoot. Not according to the match officials...
On reflection, Vinicius did appear to have shoved Dias into Ederson before emerging with the ball. The Fulham man took an age to get a shot away though and the Brazilian keeper clawed the ball away from him.
Wow...what am I watching here?? First, Robinson's short backpass almost lets Haaland go clean through on goal.
Then, at the other end, Ederson rushes from his line to challenge Vinicius and his own teammate Dias for a high ball and somehow manages to scramble it away from the striker, who looked to have made space for a shot.
Huge frustration for Fulham as Cairney picks out a superb pass for Decrdova-Reid, who looks to have lots of space to run into but is needlessly offside.
Up the other end, Haaland tries to bulldoze his way through several Fulham defenders and wins a corner, which peters out due to a foul on Leno.
An all-action start from Cairney, who's put himself about and won the ball back in the City half a few times already.
A dangerous delivery from Mahrez but it's Leno who claims. The German has been on top form today.
Corner for City straight from the restart...
Club captain Cairney does indeed replace Pereira.
Pereira is taken off on a stretcher, head in hands. It looks like a bad one for the Brazilian, let's hope it's not the case.
It looks as if Tom Cairney is getting ready to come on. Pereira won't continue.
There's not been too much movement around Pereira, which suggests he's not in great shape. Hopefully nothing too serious.
A break in play as Akanji and Pereira clash heads in midfield.
City have seriously stepped things up a gear in the last couple of minutes. Stones pulls off a ridiculous pirouette and slides Alvarez away down the right but the Argentine's attempted cross to Haaland is cut out by the Fulham defence.
Another Leno save!
But City come back for more and it's Álvarez who hangs out on the right this time, latching onto Mahrez's pass and testing Leno once more with a low strike.
A big chance for City as Haaland outmuscles Diop and plays Grealish in down the left. He returns it to the Norweigan, whose intended pass to Mahrez on the right is off target.
A bit of possession for City, who don't look to be in too much of a hurry at the moment.
WHAT A SAVE FROM LENO!
A superb stop from the German to deny Haaland! Again, Grealish is in acres of space on the left and he rolls the ball across for the Norwegian, whose low strike is somehow tipped wide.
Second half underway!
Fulham get the second half started!
Today's other Premier League games
In today's other games, Bournemouth lead Leeds 2-1, Manchester United are 1-0 up on Aston Villa and Southampton have a surprise 1-0 advantage over Newcastle. All at half time.
I'll let you know how those games finish later on.
Premier League table as it stands
If nothing changes, City are going top of the table! Still, they are only one goal ahead. Stranger things have happened...
He's been fairly quiet after the first couple of minutes but there's no keeping Haaland out of the headlines, is there? Would anybody bet against the Norwegian scoring again in the second half and taking the record outright? I, for one, would not.
Half-time: Fulham 1-2 Manchester City
After Erling Haaland had equalled Andy Cole and Alan Shearer’s single-season goalscoring record inside two minutes, it looked as if City might be set to cruise to victory. The next 10 minutes or so also suggested that, with Fulham barely touching the ball. However, little by little the hosts grew into the game and they levelled with one of their first attacks, Vinicius volleying home after a fine knock-down from Wilson.
As expected, the visitors have carried the greater threat from open play, however, and Jack Grealish has been especially dangerous. City have found the winger in space with diagonal balls from deep on a number of occasions and although he hasn’t quite been able to capiatlise, he did draw a superb stop from Leno, who pushed the England international’s angled shot onto the bar.
But there was nothing the German could do about Álvarez’s tremendous long-range strike with just under 10 minutes of the half to go. The Fulham keeper did superbly well to keep out a subsequent Gündogan effort but the Cottagers have done enough to suggest they could yet make a game of it in the second half.
Grealish and Haaland have arguably been the main dangermen for City and the two combine out on the left but the Norwegian's low cross is easily cleared.
Some decent deliveries into the box from Pereira but it's a City head, rather than a Fulham one, that gets on the end of them. The Brazilian overhits his latest cross and the pressure is off.
Cleared for another one...
Fulham are finishing well and have a corner here...
Five minutes of injury time.
Ederson, Akanji and City have got away with one there. The goalkeeper almost gets his pocket picked by Vinicius and shuffles the ball out to Akanji, who eventually plays it back to his number one. The ball looked to have gone out for a corner before Ederson cleared but the referee says no...
I'm not sure if I've mentioned City's Grealish or Fulham's Robinson more in this half. The American has been in the thick of the action and does well to skip away from Kyle Walker and win a free-kick when the Englishman thought he was going to win the ball off him.
Huge save from Leno!
Seconds later, Walker and then Mahrez disguise two superb passes and combine to give Gündogan a sight of goal. The midfielder is only a few yards out but is denied by a great block from Leno.
Diagonal switches are really causing Fulham problems. This time, Robinson gets himself in all sorts of bother as he tries to cut out a pass to Mahrez but heads the ball to Alvarez in the box. The Argentine doesn't quite get the break of the ball this time, though.
Fulham have barely touched the ball since Alvarez's goal.
Yet another long pass, this time from Alvarez, finds Grealish in space on the left. He cuts inside and looks to find space for another shot, but he doesn't connect cleanly and a deflection from Tete takes the sting off it even further.
Grealish again gets away down the left, although this time it's a run from deep that allows Akanji to play him in. Good positioning from Adarabioyo allows him to cut out the cross though.
Fulham have definitely came back into this after the first 10 minutes, when they barely touched the ball. City still looking the more dangerous but the hosts are carrying a threat too.
Grealish...off the bar!
I literally just called it and Grealish came within inches! Haaland lofts the ball over Tete and Grealish bears down on goal. A fine fingertip save from Leno touches the ball onto the bar!
Similarly, there's been plenty of space out on the City left for Jack Grealish. A few quick switches have found the City midfielder, who might punish Fulham if he keeps getting the chance.
There is definitely a chance for Robinson to get some joy in an attacking sense down the Fulham left. Mahrez doesn't look as if he wants to chase him back towards his own goal.
USMNT defender Ream off injured
A huge ovation for Fulham captain Ream as Diop comes onto replace him. The way the defender is going off suggests he landed awkwardly on his arm.
Ream may have got a little push in the back from Alvarez there, which caused him to fall over and lose the ball. The USMNT man is down.
Almost a disaster for Ream, who dallies on the ball just outside his own box and allows Alvarez to dispossess him. Thankfully for the American, Palhinha is alert and comes across to sweep up the danger.
Grealish shot saved!
Haaland almost turns provider this time as he holds the ball up expertly and plays in Grealish on the left. The winger's low shot is easily held by Leno though.
The Robinson-Mahrez battle looks like a tasty one. The American again does well to nick the ball off the City attacker as he looked to go past him in the box.
Really good work again from USMNT full-back Robinson, who scampers back frantically to challenge Mahrez as the winger threatened to get away.
Finally, a sign of life from Fulham! Robinson gets down the left and sticks the ball in the box but Vinicius can't quite get on the end of it and the City defence manage to scramble it away.
50 goals for Haaland!
What do we reckon? A decent first season for Erling Haaland at Manchester City?
Mahrez chance...offside!
For the second time already, Grealish has curled a beautiful cross into the back post for Mahrez. The Algerian's volley was well saved by Leno but he was offside anyway.
City completely dominating possession. Could be a long afternoon for the Fulham lads...
That all happened so quickly I barely had the chance to describe the penalty. Grealish curled a fine cross into the back post, Mahrez cut it back for Alvarez, who was chopped down by Ream. No doubt about it.
GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL CITY! HAALAND!
There was never any doubt, was there? We just didn't think it'd happen so early in the game!
That looks a clear penalty to me as Ream clips Alvarez. I wonder who will take it...
PENALTY FOR CITY!
That didn't take long...
The (very) early signs are that John Stones is playing in midfield, with Walker, Dias and Akanji making up a back three for City.
Underway at Craven Cottage!
City get us going and play the ball straight back to Ederson.
We've had Fatboy Silm, now we've got Faithless banging out the PA system. I'm almost ready for a night out.
Fulham vs Manchester City: burning questions
Will City finally go top of the table?
Will Haaland break the Premier League goalscoring record?
Can Fulham spring a surprise?
Manchester City team to play Fulham
The big news is that Kevin De Bruyne doesn't play because of a "niggle". Will Pep go with three or four at the back? We'll find out soon.
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji; Rodrigo, Gundogan (C); Mahrez, Grealish, Alvarez; Haaland
- goalkeeper
- 31Ederson Moraes
- defenders
- 3Rúben Dias
- 25Manuel Akanji
- 2Walker
- midfielders
- 16Rodrigo
- 19Julián Álvarez
- 8Gündogan
- 5John Stones
- forwards
- 26Mahrez
- 10Grealish
- 9Erling Braut Haaland
- substitutes
- CoachPep Guardiolas
- 14Laporte
- 4Kalvin Phillips
- 20Bernardo Silva
- 47Foden
- 21Sergio Gómez
- 33Carson
- 82Rico Lewis
- 32Máximo Perrone
- 18Stefan Ortega
Fulham team to play Manchester City
Kick-off is fast approaching at Craven Cottage! Here's a little reminder of the teams. First up, Mitrovic-less Fulham:
Leno; Tete, Reem, Adarabioyo, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; Wilson, Pereira, Reid; Vinicius.
- goalkeeper
- 17Leno
- defenders
- 2Tete
- 42Robinson
- 13Tim Ream
- 4Adarabioyo
- midfielders
- 18Andreas Pereira
- 14Bobby Reid
- 6Reed
- 8Harry Wilson
- 26João Palhinha
- forwards
- 30Carlos
- substitutes
- CoachMarco Silvas
- 1Rodak
- 21Daniel James
- 28Sasa Lukic
- 12Cedric Soares
- 31Issa Diop
- 5Duffy
- 11Manor Soloman
- 10Cairney
- 7Kebano
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I mentioned earlier than Manchester City have the small matter of a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid coming up. The first leg will be played in the Spanish capital on 9 May, with the return game following on 17 May the following week. Boss Pep Guardiola hasn't been thinking too much about it just yet, but does have "an idea" about what he'll do against the reigning European champions.
Erling Haaland: 16 goals in nine games
Erling Haaland has scored 16 goals in his last nine games in all competitions. He started the season by scoring at an unprecedented rate and it looks as if he's going to finish it that way too.
Erling Haaland vs USMNT's Tim Ream: the battle of the man-buns
Are you ready for the battle of the man-buns? USMNT defender Tim Ream will be directly up against Erling Haaland, which will give the pair the chance to share grooming tips.
Not completely sure why the Norwegian let his hair down towards the end of the game against Arsenal. Did he think the Gunners defence wouldn't recognise him? I suppose it did work...
Craven Cottage: an iconic Premier League ground
Even though it's been renovated to a certain extent, Fulham's Craven Cottage is always a favourite with traditionalists because of the way they've been able to preserve some of the stadium's original features. Let's be honest, the old grounds are the ones which have the most personality, aren't they?
Kevin De Bruyne "not fully fit"
There was some suggestion that Kevin De Bruyne may have simply been rested with plenty of games coming thick and fast. Although it seems there's a little more to it than that, with the Belgian suffering from a "niggle". Which could mean anything, really.
There's plenty of time before the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid gets underway, so you'd imagine he'd be absolutely fine for that.
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And to complete the Haaland hat-trick, here's one that is definitely the result of his goalscoring prowess rather than the cause of it. You might have seen the Norwegian wearing some extravagant clothes in various social media posts. Well, it turns out that he has an 'extravagant' (i.e. expensive) taste in watches, too.
"Just what does a watch have to do (other than tell the time) to be worth €320,000?" I hear you all ask...
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So then, how does Haaland do it? Well, Kieran is here with part of the explanation.
Still, I'm not sure if the rest of us eat meat from "the local cow that eats grass right there" or filter our water we'll suddenly turn into world-class goalscorers. Although if you want to give it a try, let me know how it goes.
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Right, are you ready for a bit of Erling Haaland love? I know, you've heard it all already, but his exploits kind of mean that it has to be done. The Norwegian looked as if he might break the Premier League goalscoring record by New Year but, shock horror, he's still not quite got there. But, today could be the day...
Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, keep yourselves busy and stay away from your screens for the next few hours.
Fulham team to play Manchester City
When did Vinicius sign for Fulham?! Ah, what, it's not that one...? Wilson is fit to play after a stomach bug but no sign of Willian, who was also a doubt, in the matchday squad.
Leno; Tete, Reem, Adarabioyo, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; Wilson, Pereira, Reid; Vinicius.
Manchester City team to play Fulham
Confirmed - no De Bruyne! Guardiola has often played a back three of late but looks to have gone with a four today. One to keep an eye on. Haaland, obviously, starts in attack.
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji; Rodrigo, Gundogan (C); Mahrez, Grealish, Alvarez; Haaland
Fulham ready for City and Haaland challange
You'll be relieved to hear that Fulham have also decided to turn up. Although it's a 3-0 defeat it you fail to fulfil a fixture...some clubs this season would surely have preferred that to playing.
Manchester City arrive at Craven Cottage
I'm not quite sure this tweet is enough to confirm Kevin De Bruyne's absence...but Álvarez, Akanji and Grealish are, indeed, not the strawberry-blonde superstar.
Fulham: how the Premier League table looks
You can argue that the mid-tabe Cottagers don't have much left to play for but they won't have given up all hope of grabbing an unlikely European place. That said, they are nine points adrift of Tottenham, who are sitting in a Europa League spot in fifth.
Marco Silva’s team have lost six of their last eight games in all competitions but a good result against City would give them a huge boost of achieving something big this season now that they are mathematically safe.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 52 | 31 | 15 | 7 | 9 |
| 9 | 50 | 34 | 12 | 14 | 8 |
| 10 | 45 | 32 | 13 | 6 | 13 |
| 11 | 40 | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 |
| 12 | 39 | 32 | 10 | 9 | 13 |
Arsenal's remaining Premier League fixtures
In case you think the title race is still on (and Arsenal are still top, remember), here are the Gunners' remaining Premier League games.
- Chelsea (h)
- Newcastle (a)
- Brighton (h)
- Nottingham Forest (a)
- Wolves (h)
Kevin De Bruyne "not with the squad"
Whaaaaat? No way. No official confirmation of the Manchester City team yet but The Athletic's Sky Blues correspondent Sam Lee has broken the bad news for City fans and indeed neutrals that Kevin De Bruyne won't be gracing us with his presence at Craven Cottage.
More on that as we get it!
Manchester City's remaining Premier League fixtures
Given how the season has gone, you could argue that City's toughest remaining fixtures are on the last two matchdays. They might have already wrapped up the league title by that point, though.
- Fulham (a)
- West Ham (h)
- Leeds (h)
- Everton (a)
- Chelsea (h)
- Brighton (a)
- Brentford (h)
Manchester City: how the Premier League table looks
This is how that thumping 4-1 win over Arsenal left the top of the Premier League table. For months, the Gunners have had winning their first league title in 19 years in their own hands, but that's now no longer than case. City are still behind, but by only two points and with two games in hand. A win over Fulham will see the Sky Blues move into top spot.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | 33 | 23 | 6 | 4 |
| 2 | 73 | 31 | 23 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 62 | 32 | 17 | 11 | 4 |
| 4 | 60 | 31 | 18 | 6 | 7 |
| 5 | 54 | 33 | 16 | 6 | 11 |
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I mentioned City's win over Arsenal in my very first post and it seems only right to start with that as it's probably the defining game of the Premier League season. It was billed as a kind of 'title decider' although I'm not sure any of us expected anything other than a home win for Pep Guardiola's side, did we?
The biggest shock was that it looked as if Haaland wasn't going to get on the scoresheet but, of course, we should know by now never to write him off.
Manchester City early team news
Pep Guardiola has no such worries with his star striker, with Erling Haaland expected to lead the line. Defender Nathan Aké, who has played on the left of a back three of late, is the only injury absentee.
Fulham early team news
The main selection news for Fulham boss Marco Silva remains that star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is still absent through suspension after being given a mammoth eight-match ban for shoving referee Chris Kavanagh in the Cottagers’ FA defeat to Manchester United. Silly, silly boy. He’s done really well for Fulham this season, too, scoring 11 times in 21 Premier League games. Shame.
Full-back Layvin Kurzawa is still injured, while there are doubts over midfield duo Willian and Harry Wilson.
Of course, you may be looking for a way to watch the game, in which case, you are bang in luck. If you’re watching from the United States, there is a way and this is it!
You can also watch a Fulham vs Manchester City live stream on fuboTV (free trial available)
What time does Fulham vs Manchester City kick off?
Before we delve into the Premier League title race and Haaland’s goalscoring exploits in more detail, a little reminder of when this game actually gets going.
Sunday’s clash gets underway at 3:00 pm local time in London, that’s 9:00 a.m. ET and 6:00 a.m. PT (ouch). I doff my imaginary cap to you west coasters who are up for this one.
Over the course of the next 90 minutes, I’ll be bringing you build-up, team news and plenty, plenty more. Are you ready? Let’s do this!
Hello and welcome to Fulham vs Manchester City!
It always seemed inevitable, didn’t it? Manchester City have been chasing down Arsenal for weeks and it looks as if they are finally going to get them. A win over mid-table Fulham will move Pep Guardiola’s side above the Gunners to the top of the Premier League table, just as we enter the home stretch.
Roddy here, thanks for joining me for live coverage from Craven Cottage. As an added bonus, we’re all wondering whether today will be the day that Erling Haaland breaks the Premier League goalscoring record.