Match Report and Player Ratings: Manchester City 3-2 Fulham (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City got back to winning ways after two successive draws in the Premier League, holding on for a hard-fought victory over Fulham at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

It was another day of experimentation for Pep Guardiola as the Blues continue their foray into the Rodri-less campaign. But a pair of goals from the Spaniard’s replacement, Mateo Kovacic, was ultimately the difference on the day.

Despite looking rampant in the opening five minutes, it was yet another Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium in which City conceded a first-half goal, as Andreas Pereira capitalised on some lax defending to fire home from close-range.

But the visitors’ lead would not last long, as the reigning Premier League Champions responded just six minutes later, when Mateo Kovacic bagged his first of the afternoon via a wicked but helpful deflection.

After the half-time restart, Pep Guardiola’s side replicated the start of the first interval with a quick flurry of chances, one of which was capped off by Mateo Kovacic once again, side-footing his second home from the edge of the box.

And while Fulham looked keen to find an equaliser in the dying minutes, the game was ultimately killed off by a moment of magic from substitute Jeremy Doku, who cut in from the left before lacing a curler into the top corner, giving Manchester City breathing room to ensure Fulham’s late second goal would not come back to bite them.

The victory sees Manchester City remain in second place in the Premier League table heading into the international break, sitting one point behind league leaders Liverpool. Here are our complete ratings of each of Pep Guardiola’s players from this weekend’s win!

Player Ratings

Starting XI

Ederson – 8

The Manchester City keeper made a couple of huge saves, most notably in one-vs-one situations with Adama Traore.

Rico Lewis – 7

Rico Lewis was at usual best with the ball at his feet against the Londoners, but struggled to deal with the pacy Fulham counter-attack at times.

Manuel Akanji – 7

Manuel Akanji has cemented himself as one of Pep Guardiola’s most reliable defensive options, and hardly put a foot wrong once again.

Ruben Dias – 6.5

Ruben Dias remains a steady presence, but being on the pitch for two goals from close-range in the Manchester City box will knock him down a peg.

Josko Gvardiol – 6.5

A relatively quiet day from the Croatian, but Manchester City continue to struggle defensively.

Mateo Kovacic – 8.5 (MOTM)

Mateo Kovacic is showing with each passing week that papering over the Rodri-less cracks may not be the impossible task we once thought it to be.

Ilkay Gundogan – 7

The former Manchester City captain is still looking to find his feet back in the team, but he remained silky on the ball and a threat from the edge of the box.

Phil Foden – 7

It’s great to see Phil Foden back in the starting line-up, and he was buzzing around the edge of the penalty box as usual. The goals will come with rhythm.

Bernardo Silva – 8

Bernardo Silva has received plenty of criticism when playing out on the wing, but his assist and an overall controlled performance was exactly what Manchester City needed at times.

Jack Grealish – 6.5

Jack Grealish went missing throughout stretches of the game, but was involved in the build-up for the second Mateo Kovacic goal.

Erling Haaland – 6.5

A victim of his own success in our ratings. Erling Haaland was involved, occupying defenders to allow space for his teammates but ultimately struggled to take his few chances.

Substitutes

Kyle Walker – 6.5

The Manchester City skipper was seemingly brought on to deal with the counter-attacks, but was burned by Adama Traore and played a role in Fulham’s late fight-back.

Jeremy Doku – 7.5

Jeremy Doku’s moment of magic ultimately secured the three points for Manchester City, but the game did open up in a threatening way when the Belgian came on the pitch.

John Stones – N/A

Matheus Nunes – N/A