Man City 3-2 Fulham: Mateo Kovacic nets brace as champions fight back to seal nervy win | OneFootball

Champions improve on back-to-back draws but are made to work hard by Marco Silva’s in-form side

Mateo Kovacic scored twice as Manchester City got back to winning ways with a 3-2 Premier League victory over Fulham.

Jeremy Doku hit the decisive third goal for the hosts, who went behind to Andreas Pereira’s effort and then saw Rodrigo Muniz score a late consolation.

City stay second in the league behind Liverpool after the Reds’ 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at lunchtime kept them top heading into the October international break.

Adama Traore blew two good chances for Fulham either side of the goal, the best seeing him denied by Ederson when through one-on-one.

However, City drew level just eight minutes later when Kovacic fired home from inside the box. Fulham will have been happy to go into the break at 1-1, having looked dangerous on the counter-attack.

But it was City who dominated the early stages of the second half and went ahead through Kovacic. Fulham kept breaking at speed and Traore missed another great chance against Ederson after beating Kyle Walker for pace.

The Cottagers pressed for an equaliser but Doku gave City a two-goal cushion with a ferocious strike from outside the box.

City tightened up as Fulham tried to get back into the game and set up a nervy finale when Rodrigo Muniz gathered Reiss Nelson’s cross to score.

But Pep Guardiola’s side held on and are now unbeaten in 50 home matches across all competitions.