Erling Haaland scored a stoppage-time spot kick to hand 10-man Manchester City a deserved 2-1 win over Fulham to keep the pressure on league leaders Arsenal.
Starting Lineup
Man City XI: Ederson; Akanji, Stones, Aké, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gündogan; Bernardo Silva, Julián Álvarez, Grealish.
Fulham XI: Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; Wilson, Andreas Pereira, Willian; Carlos Vinicius.
Manchester City went into the game with 14 Premier League unbeaten runs against Fulham.
The coach had won 11 and drew only three; welcoming Fulham to Etihad was another perfect opportunity to secure all three points against the Marco Silva-led team.
It was one-way traffic all through, as Manchester City had a firm grasp of the proceedings as the game started.
City broke into Fulham’s box easily and were close to getting an early goal, but Fulham’s goalkeeper was up to the task, pulling astonishing saves to deny the hosts.
City continued to dominate the game with a rare chance created by Kevin De Bruyne in the 8th minute.
The Belgium international fired a thunderbolt at goal, but Leno was well-positioned to tip it over.
City finally got their opening goal in the 15th minute—a jittery Fulham midfield lost possession to City at the center.
Gundogan picks it up and slights a perfect pass to Julian Alvarez, whose right-footed strike flew over Leno, hitting the crossbar before deflecting into the net.
After going a goal up, it was still Man City dominating play as they pushed for another goal.
They nearly doubled the lead in the 24th minute after a free kick in the 24th minute. John Stones slotted home a rebound, but the offside flag was raised.
Another drama was recorded in the 26th minute, Joao Cancelo brought down Vinicius in the box. A penalty was awarded to the visitors, while Joao Cancelo received a red card.
Manchester City was reduced to 10 men, while Perreira converted the spot kick to equalize for Fulham.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Manchester City still controlled and dominated the game, with Fulham still struggling to contain City in their own box.
The first half ended with both sides going into the break with a 1-1 draw.
As the second half began, Manchester City still dominated the game as they sought to return to their lead.
City confidently held onto possession and tried to break through Fulham’s defense.
The Marco Silva-led team were overwhelmed by City, although they had one-man advantage after Cancelo’s red card.
Fulham rarely made an attempt on goal and were confined into their own half throughout most part of the game.
It was still 1-1 after 70 minutes of play, with Fulham holding on for a point at Etihad.
In the 74th minute, Manchester City finally doubled their lead courtesy of Erling Haaland’s header, but it was ruled out as offside.
Erling Haaland's late penalty secured all three points over Fulham! 💥
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 5, 2022
Here's how it happened ⤵️#ManCity pic.twitter.com/zMa0LUFoDd
City went back to continue their dominance of the game but could not break the goal deadlock with less than 10 minutes left in the regulation time.
Erling Haaland was brought down in the box in injury time, and a penalty was awarded. Haaland converted it to hand Manchester City a deserved 2-1 win
