Manchester City clinch Champions League spot with victory at Fulham | OneFootball

Ilkay Gundogan’s stunning overhead kick and Erling Haaland’s second-half penalty fired Manchester City to a 2-0 win against Fulham and qualification for next season’s Champions League.

City required just one point at Craven Cottage to guarantee a top-five finish in the Premier League, and Gundogan put them in the driving seat with his sensational opener after 21 minutes.

Fulham created a series of good chances, but Haaland made sure of the victory with 18 minutes remaining as City secured a third-placed finish with Fulham dropping one spot to 11th.

Kevin De Bruyne began his final match in a City shirt from the bench while Jack Grealish was not included in Pep Guardiola’s squad at all.

Grealish has started just seven league matches this season and his final-day omission here will intensify rumours that he could leave the Etihad this summer.

With their Champions League future on the line, Guardiola described Sunday’s fixture as the most important of their season, and they dominated the opening exchanges before landing a brilliant breakthrough midway through the first period.

Matheus Nunes beat Antonee Robinson in the air, and then received the ball back off Omar Marmoush. Nunes drove into the Fulham penalty area and attempted to dink the onrushing Bernd Leno but the German goalkeeper was equal to the task.

However, Leno’s save deflected to Gundogan and the forward delivered an audacious overhead kick which crashed in off the underside of the bar.

Gundogan’s moment of magic sparked a lacklustre Fulham into life with Ederson called into action four minutes later when he palmed away Harry Wilson’s curling effort before Ruben Dias blocked Adama Traore’s follow-up.

Tom Cairney swept a left-footed effort just wide of the post, and Ederson denied Wilson for a second time with a strong right hand. Andreas Pereira could only crash the rebound into the City side-netting, albeit from an acute angle. Encouragement for Fulham, but it was City who led at the interval.

Moments after the re-start, Leno kept Fulham’s deficit to one when he saved Josko Gvardiol’s header from a corner with his face. And then another chance for the hosts, but Pereira fluffed his lines when he had a clear sight of Ederson’s goal.

City were living dangerously and Wilson wanted a penalty when he hit the turf under pressure from Nunes. Referee Andrew Madley waved his appeal away.

But Madley did not need a second invitation to award an obvious spot-kick for the visiting side when Sasa Lukic clattered into Gundogan in the area following a neat pirouette by the City forward.

Unlike in City’s FA Cup final defeat, Haaland stepped up to take the penalty, and he sent Leno the wrong way to double his side’s advantage and ensure another campaign of Champions League football.

De Bruyne was introduced in the 85th minute to bring the curtain down on his trophy-laden City career, with the side he carried to so much glory, now plotting for life without him.