Explore the highlights of City’s exhilarating 3-2 win against Fulham, featuring standout performances from Kovacic and Doku at the Etihad Stadium.
Introduction:
Mateo Kovacic scored his first Premier League double as Manchester City came from behind to record a 3-2 victory over Fulham at the Etihad Stadium. The win keeps City one point behind league leaders Liverpool, who won earlier today. All in all, City’s win was hard-won as Fulham proved resilient and nearly forced a late draw.
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Fulham off to a flying start and take the lead
A bit of an early scare in that Fulham countered strongly. Only five minutes were on the clock when Adama Traore quickly broke off on a swift counter-attacking move, only to be checked by Ederson’s sharp-cut save. Then fired up by this, Fulham scored the opener in the 26th minute. A delightful backheel from Raul Jimenez set Andreas Pereira up to volley home close-range and sent the Etihad crowd into shock.

The Cottagers were no less adventurous and had more opportunities to increase the lead with Traore missing an important chance. His shot from close distance flew over the bar, and the hook to let City off was swallowed. This wasted chance would go down in history as costing Fulham the match, which City capitalized on just minutes later.
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Kovacic Brings City Level
Until the 32nd minute, Manchester City were on the back foot till then. Kovacic equalized it for Manchester City in the 32nd minute when a kindly broken corner kick left him no other choice but to strike it forcefully after it was deflected off Joachim Andersen, which managed to squeeze itself in.
With the game level at 1-1, the tide turned back in City’s favor, and Kovacic was not yet finished. He capped the comeback two minutes into the second half, finishing a good pass from Bernardo Silva. Kovacic’s composed finish past Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno not only sent City ahead but also gave him the best return of his Premier League season with three goals.

Fulham Fight Back but Doku Extends City’s Lead
Fulham refused to give up, and once more Adama Traore was given the space to unleash himself and dash into City’s open defense. This time Ederson stood in his way, making a crucial save to maintain City’s lead.

City sealed a crucial third goal in the 82nd minute. Jeremy Doku, wide left, cut inside and shot powerfully from the edge of the box, beating Leno at full stretch. Doku’s goal ensured it would be Fulham’s day, but there was no way the home side were losing now.

Nervous Finish as Muniz Scores Late
With just two minutes on the clock, a Fulham substitute in Rodrigo Muniz had managed to pull one back, forcing the tension back into the match. His attempted deflection should have been enough to beat Ederson and leave it all up to city’s defense to hang on until the final whistle blew for their team to collect the full three points.
This win keeps Manchester City’s Premier League title challenge alive as they head into the international break, even though they remain second behind Liverpool. It is in any case a relief to have ended a brief winless run and can now chase down the leaders over the coming weeks.

Fulham Left to Rue Missed Chances
Fulham drew nothing but the performance was up to the mark. Marco Silva’s side did enough in terms of creating possibilities, and an Expected Goals (xG) rating of 2.4 pegged their attacking intent. They had conviction to their game and bothered City a lot. Yet it was the unconverted key chances mainly through Traore that ultimately told against them.
The loss pushes Fulham down to sixth, but their recent form has been quite commendable, and they would look to bounce back with a vengeance after the international break.