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Manchester City defeated Fulham 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday, November 5. The result sees them temporarily leapfrog Arsenal as they climb to the top of the table with 32 points.
City entered this contest on the back of three wins, one draw, and one loss in their last five games across competitions. They came back from a goal down to secure a 3-1 win against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League in their last game.
With Erling Haaland on the bench, Pep Guardiola handed Julian Alvarez a start as the hosts were eager to win this game.
Manchester City made a strong start to the game and dominated possession in the first period. Their midfielders passed the ball well and looked sharper than their Fulham counterparts. This allowed the hosts to grab the lead early in the game. Ilkay Gundogan assisted Julian Alvarez as City led 1-0 after 16 minutes.
However, things turned sour for the hosts just 10 minutes later. Joao Cancelo was caught off-guard and was forced to make a last-man foul. He was shown a straight red card and Fulham were awarded a penalty. Andreas Pereira stepped up and scored to level the game after 28 minutes.
Despite going down to 10 men, Manchester City continued to control the tempo of the game and dominated possession. However, they could not score and the score remained 1-1 at the interval.
Both sides made a decent start to the second period as they looked to score the goal that would change the balance of the contest. Manchester City were handed a major boost 15 minutes into the second half as Erling Haaland returned to action after an injury layoff. He appeared to have made a dream return, scoring just 10 minutes after coming on. However, the goal was canceled for offside.
Both Pep Guardiola and Marco Silva made several changes to their teams as they looked to freshen things up. The game went into a phase of tight marking and several stoppages as Fulham were fighting for a point. However, Manchester City had the last laugh. Kevin De Bruyne was fouled in the penalty area and Haaland converted the penalty to make it 2-1.
With very little time left, Manchester City held on with ease to secure a 2-1 win over Fulham. With that said, let's take a look at the hosts' player ratings.
Manchester City Player Ratings
Ederson - 6.5/10
Ederson had a fairly decent game as he faced just two shots on target and made one save, while the other was a penalty that was scored.
John Stones - 7/10
Stones had a relatively decent game and was forced to play as the third central defender as Manchester City tweaked their formation after going down to 10 men. He won four of his five duels and made two clearances and one interception.
Manuel Akanji - 6.5/10
Akanji played well and looked solid at the back for the hosts. He won one duel, made one interception, and one clearance. He also played four accurate long balls.
Nathan Ake - 6.5/10
Ake had a good game and looked sharp with the ball at his feet. He won two of his six duels and made two interceptions. He also played one key pass and one accurate long ball.
Joao Cancelo - 5/10
Cancelo made a decent start to the game but was given his marching orders for a professional last-man foul midway through the first half.
Kevin De Bruyne - 8.5/10
De Bruyne was the chief creator with the ball for Manchester City and used his exquisite passing range and creativity to pick out teammates. He played five key passes, five accurate crosses and four accurate long balls. He also won eight of his 13 duels and earned a late penalty which Haaland converted.
Rodri - 7.5/10
Rodri used his physicality and passing abilities to hold his own and control the central areas of the pitch. He played one key pass, one accurate cross and five accurate long balls. He also won six of his eight duels and made three tackles and one interception.
Ilkay Gundogan - 7.5/10
Gundogan made a good start to the game and provided an assist for his side's opening goal. He played two key passes and four accurate long balls. He also won four of his five duels and made two tackles.
Bernardo Silva - 7/10
Bernardo made a decent start to the game and distributed the ball with confidence. He was booked for arguing with the referee just before half-time. He played one key pass, one accurate cross and four accurate long balls. He also won four of his eight duels.
Jack Grealish - 6.5/10
Grealish had a decent game but was lackluster in the final third. He won four of his nine duels and played one accurate long ball. However, he gave the ball away 16 times and was subbed off in the second period.
Julian Alvarez - 7/10
Alvarez made a strong start to the game and scored to give Manchester City the lead after 16 minutes. He won three of his five duels and played one key pass and one accurate cross as well.
Substitutes
Phil Foden - 6.5/10
Foden replaced Jack Grealish and had a decent game.
Erling Haaland - 7.5/10
Haaland came on in the second period and made an instant impact, scoring a goal only for it to be ruled out for offside. However, he had the final say as he scored from the spot to hand City the win.
Ruben Dias - N/A
He came on during second-half stoppage time and helped Manchester City preserve their lead.
