Kovacic pleased after 'important' victory over Fulham | OneFootball

Mateo Kovacic has praised City's character to come from behind and beat Fulham 3-2 in a pulsating Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium.

The visitors took the lead through Andreas Pereira, but Kovacic found the net twice to turn the game on it's head shortly after the interval.

Jeremy Doku's stunner made it 3-1 before Rodrigo Muniz pulled a goal back for the Cottagers late on.

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Kovacic, who was named Player of the Match after an impressive attacking display, was pleased with the team's fighting spirit to come back swiftly from conceding and then come away with three points.

"Yeah, it was a tough game, like every game here in the Premier League," he declared. "There is no easy game in the league. I think we dominated in the beginning and could have scored. We then conceded and then came back quickly.

"In the end we won it. It was a tough game against an opposition in good form, so for us it is good to continue on a winning form. It is never easy to play in the Premier League and today we showed great character. Good game for us.

"The manager told us [midfielders] we should be around the box because we’re always there. Today we pushed.

"Luckily I was there, Bernardo gave me a great ball, in the end it was a good control and a good shot. So it was important as always that we win. It means a lot because my wife is pregnant so it was great to get some goals for the little one.

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"It doesn't matter who scores, the most important are the three points and hopefully now we can continue like this."

The Croatian is deputising in holding midfield for the injured Rodrigo, who will miss the rest of the season after suffering knee ligament damage against Arsenal last month.

The Spaniard has been an integral part of Pep Guardiola's team over the last few seasons, but Kovacic believes there is enough quality and options in the squad to cover for him.

"I’m playing at the moment there so I need to cover for Rodri. We miss him a lot, I think any team would miss a player like Rodri.

"We wish him a speedy recovery and that he comes back in good shape as soon as possible. But for now we have to adapt and for sure the manager has a lot of options so we can rotate.

"We play every three days and every game is a tough one. It is not easy and we have to adapt to the schedule. It is what it is. We have to be in top form every day."