Sunday Fulham Stuff - 14/03/21...

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Results

Saturday
Leeds	0-0	Chelsea
Palace	1-0	West Brom
Everton	1-2	Burnley
Fulham	0-3	Man City

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Fulham 0-3 Manchester City

Sergio Aguero's last Premier League goal had come 417 days ago against Sheffield United

Sergio Aguero scored his first Premier League goal since January 2020 as Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League with a win at struggling Fulham.

The result sees Pep Guardiola's side move 17 points clear at the summit, with second-placed Manchester United having two games in hand.

For the Cottagers it represents a dent to their survival hopes after they missed the opportunity to move out of the bottom three, which is compounded by the fact they have played more games than both Brighton and Newcastle - the sides directly above them.

It had looked like being a tight affair, with Fulham testing a much-changed City side during a relatively even first period.

However, John Stones tapped in Joao Cancelo's free-kick two minutes after the break before Gabriel Jesus benefited from some shoddy defending to round home goalkeeper Alphonse Areola for the second.

And with the game under control, Aguero rounded off the scoring with a penalty after Tosin Adarabioyo had fouled Ferran Torres.

City roll on
While Fulham manager Scott Parker chose to begin without a recognised centre-forward, there were also surprises in the City starting XI.

Guardiola elected to field a three-man defence while Jesus and Aguero were deployed in tandem up front for the first time since February 2020.

If it was designed to give a City side missing the creativity of Raheem Sterling, Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan some incisiveness in attack, it did not initially seem to have worked.

A Torres snapshot and Bernardo Silva's low effort after a jinking run were the highlights of a first-half performance lacking cohesion.

Aguero, the fourth-highest scorer in Premier League history, also had an inauspicious start to the evening, touching the ball on fewer occasions than both goalkeepers in the first half.

But after the break it all changed, as much by good fortune as design.

Cancelo's curling free-kick saw Stones dart through a static Fulham defence to prod home, before Joachim Andersen's clearance ricocheted off Ivan Cavaleiro to send Jesus through for a simple second and Aguero had the final word.

"For him goals are everything, Gabriel [Jesus] too," Guardiola said of Aguero.

"Everybody wants to jump on the bus - he is more than welcome! It was so important his goal - he played 90 minutes for the first time in a long time."

Fulham architects of their own downfall
Prior to the game Guardiola had spoken glowingly of opposite number Parker, and for the first 45 minutes it was easy to understand why.

Rejuvenated by recent results, including a superb win at champions Liverpool, the Cottagers appeared to have the measure of a side that had won their past six meetings by an aggregate score of 18-0.

Assured in their defensive work, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Harrison Reed, Kenny Tete and Ola Aina all showed up well at the other end of the pitch, although there was a noticeable void at the apex of their attack.

But in just 15 second-half minutes the game was gone, primarily from the sort of errors that Parker and his players have worked hard to eradicate.

Tosin's failure to react to Cancelo's free-kick and Andersen's error for the second goal were particularly out of character for players who have laid the defensive platform for Fulham's recent improvement.

Another concern for Parker is that his side have now lost five of their past seven Premier League games at Craven Cottage, an issue that needs to be resolved if they are to retain their top-flight status, starting with the visit of Leeds on Friday.

'We are in a good place' - what they said
Fulham boss Scott Parker told BBC Match of the Day: "Disappointing. There's no denying the mistakes we gave away for the goals were sloppy.

"You are playing against a team that in any moment of the game can hurt you. You have to be switched on. That's probably the deciding factor of the game.

"The season is not going to be defined by a team we have played tonight and the quality they have. Individually, I wanted to leave an imprint and individually we did that. We will dust ourselves down and move on.

"This is the part of the season when trophies are won and rewards are won. It's the nitty-gritty of it. It's the defining moment. We understand that. It's the home stretch for us. We are in a good place and we will continue."

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, speaking to BBC Sport: "We knew it [would be difficult]. You just look at Fulham's last results they don't concede goals. We do well. In 90 minutes generally we were so solid and, yeah, we won again.

"They defended really well man-to-man. In the right moment we did it and I'm very pleased for all the players and the commitment from the players in the locker room before the game. We travel to Budapest now and prepare for another final before we get ready for the quarter-final of the FA Cup.

"I will arrive well [with a fit squad] in Budapest through rotating. Sometimes the players don't believe me, I want everyone involved. Sometimes it is difficult but everyone has to make a contribution to win games and we will arrive at the end of the season fighting as best as possible."

City's spark against promoted clubs
    Manchester City have won each of their last eight away league games, scoring 22 goals while conceding only three in this run.
    Fulham have lost five of their last seven Premier League games at Craven Cottage (W1 D1), while they have also failed to score in seven of their last nine home league matches.
    Manchester City have won their last seven meetings with Fulham in all competitions by an aggregate score of 21-0. This is now their joint-longest ever run of wins against a single opponent without conceding a goal (also 7 v Wigan between 2010-2013).
    Manchester City have only lost one of their last 36 Premier League meetings with promoted clubs (W28 D7), a 2-3 defeat at Norwich in September 2019.
    This was Fulham's 20th Premier League defeat under Scott Parker, meaning the Cottagers have now lost 51% of their games under him in the competition (P39 W8 D11 L20).
    Having scored just one goal in his first 170 Premier League appearances, Man City defender John Stones has since netted four in his last 10 games in the competition.
    Gabriel Jesus has been directly involved in 95 goals in his 114 starts in all competitions for Manchester City (73 goals, 22 assists), scoring eight and assisting one more in his last 10 starts.
    Sergio Aguero has ended a run of 13 appearances, 641 minutes of play and 24 shots without scoring in the Premier League for Man City, with his penalty against Fulham his first league goal since January 2020 v Sheff Utd, 417 days ago.
    In their 13 Premier League starts alongside one another for Manchester City, Sergio Aguero (15) and Gabriel Jesus (nine) have scored a combined 24 goals. The Citizens have won 11 and lost none of those 13 league matches when the pair have both been in the starting XI (D2).

What's next?

Fulham welcome Leeds United to Craven Cottage for their next Premier League game on Friday, 19 March (20:00 GMT).

Manchester City play the home leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Monchengladbach at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on Tuesday, 16 March (20:00). City then travel to Everton on Saturday, 20 March (17:30) to play in the FA Cup quarter-finals.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56247520

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Parker's Post-City press conference

Scott Parker was pleased with his side's rigidity in the first half but left frustrated with the manner of concession in the second.

A 15-minute onslaught saw three second half goals conceded against the pending 20/21 Premier League Champions.

"I thought in the first half we took the game to City and played very well whilst being solid out of possession," he stated. "I asked them to be brave in how we set it up. We conceded sloppy goals. The set play goal was poor and then two individual errors that they pounced on.

"We came out in the second half with a platform. The disappointing thing was to concede early. That 15-minute period made it a real uphill task. I didn't want the game to pass this team by and they didn't do that, but we struggled in certain moments."

Tosin Adarabioyo had a tricky time against his former club, but the Head Coach knows with his quality, he will shrug this game off.

"It's a big learning curve for Tosin," he said. "He's been exceptional and top-class for us. But like a lot of the players here, he's young and developing, they will make mistakes. It'll be down to how quickly they learn from these errors. He will learn fast; he'll understand the differences to make and we'll move on as a team.

"Confidence is key to how we've put ourselves in this fighting position. We're well organised and we've been resilient. We've come out the other side of these little mistakes throughout the season. We'll work out where we went wrong and improve."

Whilst it would be wise to write-off Saturday night's game at the Cottage, the defeat provides nuggets of areas to improve for Parker's men.

"We won't write this off," he said. "We need to move on, but we need to analyse the way we conceded goals. It'll be one we need to work out how to improve in those moments. We will look to where we need to be next which is Leeds on Friday."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/march/Parker-s-Post-City-press conference/

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Fulham well beaten by ruthless Man City

Fulham's recent revival came to an abrupt end at Craven Cottage.

Premier League leaders Manchester City maintained their surge towards the title with three second-half goals by John Stones, Gabriel Jesus and a penalty by Sergio Aguero to sink any hopes the Whites had of securing a valuable point in their battle against relegation.

Fulham remain 18th and in the relegation zone, one place behind Brighton.

With virtually a full squad to choose from, Fulham head coach Scott Parker was hoping to build on the confidence in the ranks after the stunning 1-0 victory at Liverpool last week. However, the Whites were, naturally, anticipating a formidable task against the clear league leaders.

Fulham were organised from the start but neither side were able to carve out any obvious scoring opportunities, with the hosts initially defending well against City's sharp strike force of Jesus and Aguero.

City – beginning to dominate possession – went close in 33 minutes when Bernardo Silva slipped past Ola Aina inside the penalty area, but the midfielder's low left foot shot was well smothered by keeper Alphonse Areola.

It proved to be the best chance in an otherwise flat first half, with Areola also denying Aguero from an acute angle.

The visitors, though, stunned Fulham only two minutes after the interval with the breakthrough.

Silva flighted in a dangerous-looking free-kick from the left and the impressive Stones was first to react to stab the ball home with ease from around six yards out.

City midfielder Rodri then stung the hands of Areola with a crisp drive from the edge of the penalty area with Fulham still coming to terms with going a goal behind.

And it was a mark of how clinical Pep Guardiola's side have been all season when they doubled their lead in the 55th minute.

Jesus worked diligently to skip between Joachim Andersen and Ivan Cavaleiro inside the box, before rounding Areola to slam the ball into the exposed net.

Five minutes later City demonstrated their undoubted ruthlessness by making it 3-0 from the spot to make matters comfortable.

Tosin Adarabioyo needlessly bundled over Ferran Torres in what was an obvious foul – and Aguero subsequently made no mistake, driving low into the left-hand corner of the net from 12 yards.

Fulham struggled to test City keeper Ederson throughout and were, ultimately, outclassed. Parker must now refocus his side towards their next game, at home to Leeds United on Friday.

Fulham: Areola, Aina, Tete, Adarabioyo, Andersen, Lemina (Onomah 72), Reed, Zambo-Anguissa, Loftus-Cheek (Mitrovic 63), Cavaleiro (Robinson 83), Lookman



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-well-beaten-by-ruthless-man-city

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Scott Parker's lucky grey blazer was not enough to beat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City but his confident Fulham side must regroup for the final nine games if they want to save themselves from the drop

    Scott Parker's Fulham were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Fulham on Saturday
    Goals from John Stones, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero gave City the victory
    Parker's side are still in the relegation zone with nine league games left to play
    The Cottagers must regroup quickly in order to stay confident for the run-in

Scott Parker pulled on the same pale grey blazer just in case the secret lie somewhere within its quilted panels.

He had worn it when his team produced the historic win at Liverpool on their previous outing but three Manchester City goals in 13 second-half minutes soon decoded the enigma of this new line in survival gear.

Not that Parker should sell his coat and sack the tailor. City can, of course, do this to any team when they fall into their groove.


Scott Parker wore the same pale grey blazer but his Fulham side were still beaten by Man City


Three second-half goals gave Pep Guardiola's side all three points in west London on Saturday

Fulham's confidence was high and with good reason. They have made great progress in recent weeks and Parker's next challenge is to draw on their spirit to ensure this bruising defeat does not have a lasting impact.

His team have made up ground and have Brighton and Newcastle in their sights. They cannot afford to relax and feel sorry for themselves.

They face Leeds here on Friday and if they are to escape the drop they must quickly regroup and draw on the things they did well at Anfield and, at times, last night. They opened with energy and purpose before being overwhelmed and then recovered to avoid further embarrassment.


Fulham remain in the top-flight's relegation zone with nine Premier League games remaining

Parker, like some of his players, is finding his feet at this level. He stepped into the role as they slid out of the Premier League two years ago and won promotion in his first full season. It has been a difficult campaign in many ways but he emerges with credit regardless of the final outcome.

He communicates well in public, connects to a fan-base unable to attend games and clearly gets his messages through to his players.

Under his leadership, they have generated a style and recaptured the Fulham identity lost when he took the reins from Claudio Ranieri. He has added humility and quiet resilience, hallmarks of his own playing career.


John Stones gave Manchester City an early second-half lead by netting from a free-kick


Gabriel Jesus scored later on before Sergio Aguero's penalty put the game beyond Fulham

They have not scored enough goals and could not hold City at bay. Alphonse Areola made fine saves until resistance was broken by John Stones and defensive lapses enabled cost them as Gabriel Jesus scored the second and Sergio Aguero converted a penalty.

As Guardiola sails on towards another title, and perhaps another haul of multiple trophies, Parker has to transform this painful reality bump into some form motivation in the weeks ahead. Ultimately, it may not be enough.

Like the impressive new Riverside Stand rising into the sky at their home by the Thames, Fulham are still under construction. They are making progress from a standing start after promotion via the play-offs, and they will not go down without a fight.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9359221/Scott-Parkers-lucky-grey-blazer-not-beat-Pep-Guardiolas-Manchester-City.html

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Newcastle United handed relegation favour as Fulham beaten at Craven Cottage

The Magpies need all the help they can get but the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa suddenly doesn't seem a complete disaster

Newcastle United got the result they were looking for from Craven Cottage as Manchester City ran riot in the Premier League.

After holding Man City in the first half, Fulham collapsed after the break as goals flowed from John Stones, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero (pen) secured a strong away victory.

The result not only keeps Scott Parker's side in the bottom three but also dents their goal difference and Newcastle now have a game in hand.

On another nervy day in the top-flight, Newcastle fans watched on as Burnley picked up a valuable 2-1 win away to Everton to move five points clear of Steve Bruce's side.

Earlier in the day Crystal Palace nudged up to 37 points after beating doomed West Brom meaning there is a 10-point gap between Newcastle and the Baggies.

United have a two-point cushion over Fulham and attention now switches to the South Coast on Sunday as Brighton travel to Southampton.

Only a win for Graham Potter's side would see United slip down a place into 17th.



https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-handed-relegation-favour-20141511

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City stroll to success after Fulham's second half implosion

For forty five minutes, Fulham blunted Manchester City's considerable attacking arsenal and looked to have given themselves a chance of escaping the relegation zone this evening. But, in the sort of implosion that characterised their disastrous start to the season, Scott Parker's side conceded three goals in thirteen second half minutes as Pep Guardiola's charges strolled to a comfortable victory at Craven Cottage and moved seventeen points clear at the top of the table.

The manner of Fulham's meek capitulation after the break will have disappointed Parker, especially after their diligence and determination had stoutly kept the visitors at bay in the first half. Their hard won parity lasted just 76 seconds once Andre Marriner had harshly penalised a Joachim Andersen challenge close to the right touchline. Fulham's high defensive line has served them well since Parker reshaped his rearguard, but it allowed a rejuvanated John Stones to saunter unimpeded onto Joao Cancelo's cross and put City in front.

Another calamity wasn't long in coming. Ivan Cavaleiro, deployed as a wide forward in a system designed to contain the champions' elect, wandered aimlessly infield and towards a sea of opponents. His anxious pass played Andersen into trouble and the Danish defender's desperate attempt at a clearance, cannoned off Cavaleiro and allowed Gabriel Jesus a clear run on goal. The Brazilian breezed round a stranded Alphonse Areola and rolled home his twelve league goal of the campaign. Tosin Adarabioyo then made the wrong sort of impression against his former employers, attempting a dragback on the edge of his own box and presenting the ball to Ferran Torres, before clipping the winger inside the area. Sergio Aguero, a regular scourge of Fulham, gleefully dispatched the penalty – scoring his first league goal in fourteen months.

The rest of the game was something of a training exercise, which would have suited Guardiola, who rested a number of key players ahead of their Champions' League commitments against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Tuesday night. The visitors stroked the ball around confidently and might have added to their lead, with the hosts still guilty of overplaying in their own final third. Fulham flickered briefly with their three substitutes to the fore. Aleksandar Mitrovic produced a peach of a ball to free Josh Onomah, who was denied a consolation by a combination of Ruben Dias and Ederson. Antonee Robinson made a couple of threatening runs down the left flank, but barring one blocked Mitrovic shot there was little in the way of penetration.

Parker's plan to outwit the runaway leaders had looked promising early on. Both Ademola Lookman and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa got themselves into the space behind City's three centre backs, but Fulham's one concerted period of pressure ended in frustration – chiefly because a succession of crosses were aimed towards Lookman, who was outnumbered and hardly a towering presence in any case. Areola made a couple of smart saves at his near post from Torres and Aguero but the hosts were largely untroubled – even hinting at an attacking threat of their own when Kenny Tete almost sneaked onto a deep cross from the left, but the bounce proved unfavourable.

Parker will need to quickly switch Fulham's focus away from their dreadful second half defending and onto a home meeting with Leeds United on Friday night. Their excellent recent run offers genuine hope that they can avoid the drop but they will need to offer more in attack, with Josh Maja – omitted in favour of a conservative approach this evening – likely to return.

FULHAM (4-3-3): Areola; Tete, Aina, Andersen, Adarabioyo; Reed, Lemina (Onomah 73), Anguissa; Loftus-Cheek (Mitrovic 63), Lookman, Cavaleiro (Robinson 80). Subs (not used): Fabri, Hector, Kongolo, Ream, Bryan, Maja.

MANCHESTER CITY (3-4-1-2): Ederson; Stones, Dias (Garcia 75), Laporte; Cancelo, Mendy, Rodri, Bernado Silva (Fernandinho 67); Torres; Aguero, Jesus. Subs (not used): Steffen, Walker, Zinchenko, Gundogan, de Bruyne, Foden, Mahrez.

GOALS: Stones (47), Jesus (56), Aguero (pen 60).

REFEREE: Andre Marriner (West Midlands).

VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire).



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/03/city-stroll-to-success-after-fulhams-second-half-implosion/

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Verdict: Fulham tactics caused Man City problems but ultimately backfired

The good news is Fulham won't meet Manchester City again over the last nine games.

They were beaten by Pep Guardiola's silky side for the 11th time in a row, which was no great shock.

What did take the wind out of the Whites' sails was the 3-0 scoreline.

It was the first time Craven Cottage has seen three hits from the opposition since Everton scored a triple back in November.

A recently mean defence became ultra-generous and, in truth, the minute John Stones put City ahead it was over and out.

Two more out-of-character gifts from Fulham – and it definitely was.

You have to feel for Tosin.

In the first half, there were many times when the defender stood on the ball in his own box waiting for one of his team-mates to show.

Most of the time somebody did.

But you don't get the luxury of posing on the ball without eventually paying the price against the champions-elect.

Thankfully, for the former City player, the damage was long done before he gave away a penalty for 3-0.

Poor from Cav
Ivan Cavaleiro is no defender.

He's been found wanting in the past at the back because, as a forward, he can't see the danger.

His awful pass to Joachim Andersen that needed the Dane to hack clear, only to see the ball come back off Cavaleiro, was asking for it.

There are times when you put your foot through the ball and swallow pride: the Portuguese failed to see this – and he was 20 yards and dead centre from his own goal.

It was 2-0 from the moment Gabriel Jesus picked up the unfortunate rebound.

Fulham like the idea of what Scott Parker calls an "aggressive" defence: one that maintains a high line on the 18-yard box.

It backfired this time, because City have the players to pinpoint a cross as well as the speed to race past a defence with its back to goal.

That opening goal was almost scientific in its accuracy, and white shirts gambling on the wide-open space was a gamble too many.

Lack of a cutting edge
Just after half an hour Anguissa got the ball lofted to him on the right, and in clear space.

Did he go straight for goal and take a chance?

Nope. He waited for the cavalry to arrive to waste a half chance as City also got back in numbers.

Admittedly, Ademola Lookman was offside when he got the same half chance on the right four minutes in.

He didn't know he was a yard off, but he still wanted to take that touch too many.

Why not give it head down and see what happens? Clearly, that's not in the Fulham mindset, which is more the pity.

Parker decided forwards were for teams who want to give City a head start.

No Josh Maja, No Aleksandar Mitrovic, and no Bobby Decordova-Reid in the starting XI – after the latter failed a fitness test – pretty much set the stall from the start.

You can't say Fulham's boss is slow to exercise his options.

He already admitted the wing-backs are interchangeable, and disposing with obvious strike power was another bold move.

On top of which, Cavaleiro was something of an auxiliary left-back in the first half, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek was the 'false' nine with two wingers cutting inside when demanded.

The plan half-worked.

It's a pity the Premier League won't award half a point for creativity against by far the best side in the division.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/verdict-fulham-tactics-caused-man-city-problems-but-ultimately-backfired

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Fulham boss Scott Parker disappointed by 'silly goals' but knows Man City defeat won't define relegation fight

Scott Parker was left frustrated by "silly goals" after Fulham were beaten by Manchester City on Saturday evening, but acknowledged defeat to the champions-elect would not be the deciding factor in his side's relegation fight.

The Cottagers were more than competitive in the first-half against Pep Guardiola's side, but self-imploded after the break, conceding three times in 13 minutes.

While the first goal was the result of poor marking from a set-piece as John Stones opened the scoring, the two that followed were outright clangers, first as a defensive mix-up allowed Gabriel Jesus to double the lead and then as Tosin Adarabioyo was caught on the ball and gave away a penalty trying to recover.

"We tried to take the game to the best team in Europe and this division," Parker said. "I thought we did do that.

"We conceded silly goals in the second half, which is disappointing but the players know that. I asked the team to be brave and show a way about us to try and assert ourselves on Man City. For large parts they did very well but it was some silly goals really."

Fulham remain in the relegation zone only on goal difference, but have now played two games more than 17th-placed Brighton.

However, Parker is determined that Saturday's defeat will do little to derail a survival bid that had been gathering momentum after last weekend's win at Liverpool.

"There are massive positives," he told BT Sport. "People may look at the way the goals were conceded but if you try to take a team on like Manchester City there are risks that come from that. We fell short. Overall I'm very pleased.

"[It's a] big test now. Our season won't be defined against a side like Man City. Now as always, we re-group, learn from the mistakes, take the positives and go again."



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-scott-parker-man-city-silly-goals-b923979.html

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Parker sends reminder about Fulham survival chances after Man City setback

Scott Parker reminded Fulham that their season will not be defined by results against the likes of Manchester City after losing to the league leaders.

Fulham have been creeping up the table recently and their form has made escaping the relegation zone a genuine possibility.

But their recent upturn in form suffered a setback when they lost 3-0 to City, despite holding them for the whole first half.

Fulham were the architects of their own downfall for several of those goals and were unable to bounce back. It keeps them in the relegation zone on goal difference.

Parker took plenty of positives from their brave performance, though, and vowed to bounce back.

He told BT Sport: "We tried to take the game to the best team in Europe and this division. I thought we did do that.

"We conceded silly goals in the second half, which is disappointing but the players know that.

"I asked the team to be brave and show a way about us to try and assert ourselves on Man City. For large parts they did very well but it was some silly goals really.

"We were solid and were in the game. We had our little tiny moments in the first half where we need to be more clinical.

"You have to stay more solid in the second half but the goal came straight after half time which is an uphill battle."

Parker sees 'massive positives'

Parker continued: "There are massive positives.

"People may look at the way the goals were conceded but if you try to take a team on like Manchester City there are risks that come from that.

"We fell short. Overall I'm very pleased.

"Big test now. Our season won't be defined against a side like Man City. Now as always, we re-group, learn from the mistakes, take the positives and go again."



https://www.teamtalk.com/news/parker-reminder-fulham-survival-chances-man-city-setback

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Cottage Talk Full Time: Fulham's Second Half Implosion Against Manchester City

Take a listen to a podcast that focuses on Fulham Football Club.

This is our initial reaction show to Fulham's 3-0 loss to Manchester City.


You can also listen to the show by following this link...
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2021/3/13/22329439/cottage-talk-full-time-fulhams-second-half-implosion-against-manchester-city

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Parker bemoans 'sloppy goals' after Fulham defeat

Scott Parker admitted that Fulham were left feeling frustrated after losing to Premier League leaders Manchester City at Craven Cottage.

The Whites lost 3-0 after goals by John Stones, Gabriel Jesus and a penalty by Sergio Aguero, in what proved to be a costly spell at the start of the second half.

Fulham have lost five of their past seven Premier League games at Craven Cottage and remain 18th in the table as they continue to battle relegation with nine games remaining.

Head coach Parker did, however, insist his side displayed courage against Pep Guardiola's men who are now 17 points clear at the summit.

"The team are frustrated, especially as they didn't work too hard for their goals in that 15-minute spell in the second half," said Parker.

"I thought first half we took the game to Man City and we were very solid out of possession and were brave in how we set up, but we lost sloppy goals into the second half.

"A set play which was poor and two individual errors, then the game is over. That is the residing factor from tonight, but we showed courage and left a mark on Man City for a while, but there's no doubt the goals we lost were poor goals. That was disappointing and frustrating.

"Everyone individually didn't let that game pass them by, but they've just fallen a little bit short at certain moments."

He added: "Tosin has been exceptional here but we have young players who will make mistakes.

"It's all about how they recover from errors and he was desperate to make up for that. He will learn quick, and we need to grow as a team."

Parker also confirmed that Bobby Decordova-Reid, who sustained a hamstring injury, is doubtful for the Whites' next game, at home to Leeds United on Friday.

Nevertheless, he pointed to the recent run of good form, including last week's impressive win at Liverpool, which can still help Fulham avoid the drop.

"It has been the key to put ourselves in the position we are," Parker explained.

"It's why we are looking at a team what was well organised. We have been resilient when we've made mistakes and that won't change. We will work out where we went wrong, keep moving and keep improving."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/parker-frustrated-fulham-defeat-and-gives-update-on-decordova-reid-injury

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 Premier League: Manchester City's Rich Reserves See Off Fulham To Stretch Lead
Manchester City showed their strength in depth as a much-changed side by Pep Guardiola won 3-0 at Fulham on Saturday to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League.

Manchester City showed their strength in depth as a much-changed side by Pep Guardiola won 3-0 at Fulham on Saturday to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League to 17 points. All three goals came in the first 15 minutes of the second-half as John Stones, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero struck to take City ever closer to a third league title in four years. Manchester United have two games in hand on the runaway leaders, but City need a maximum of just 14 points from their final eight games to claim the title.

"The dynamic of the season is good," said Guardiola. "The second-half was so important. It is an important victory for us and we are closer."

Guardiola's men are still on course for a historic quadruple of trophies this season.

Ahead of their return to Champions League action against Borussia Monchengladbach in Budapest on Tuesday, the Catalan coach made seven changes with Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez among those left on the bench for the full 90 minutes.

"I will arrive well in Budapest through rotating," added Guardiola, who has made a Premier League high 94 changes to his line-ups this season.

"Sometimes the players don't believe me, I want everyone involved. Sometimes it is difficult but everyone has to make a contribution to win games and we will arrive at the end of the season fighting as best as possible."

Despite still sitting in the bottom three, Fulham had been on an impressive run to haul themselves back into contention for survival, including a stunning 1-0 win away to Liverpool last weekend.

Scott Parker's men proved stubborn opponents again for the first 45 minutes, but were architects of their own downfall in the second period.

"We conceded silly goals in the second half," said Parker. "The first one from a set-piece is too easy and then the other two are mistakes."

All Fulham's good work was blown away inside the first two minutes of the second-half as Stones opened the floodgates by latching onto Joao Cancelo's free-kick for a simple finish.

Fulham opened themselves up for the second as Joachim Andersen's clearance ricocheted off teammate Ivan Cavaleiro into the path of Jesus, who coolly rounded Alphonse Areola before blasting into an empty net.

Aguero's appearances have been restricted this season by injuries and testing positive for coronavirus.

City's all-time top scorer had not netted in the Premier League since January 2020, but when Ferran Torres was felled inside the box by Tosin Adarabioyo, the Argentine quickly grabbed the ball.

Failure to score from the spot has been one of City's few weaknesses this season, but restored to penalty duty, Aguero made no mistake.

"For him score a goal is everything," said Guardiola.

A three-goal lead allowed Guardiola to withdraw Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias early ahead of the trip to Budapest.

Already holding a 2-0 first leg lead, a fourth consecutive quarter-final should be a formality, but claiming the club's first ever European crown is the one piece of unfinished business for Guardiola since arriving in Manchester five years ago.

There is little doubt, though, that the City boss will soon be able to add a third Premier League title to his hat-trick of La Liga and Bundesliga wins with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.



https://sports.ndtv.com/english-premier-league/manchester-citys-rich-reserves-see-off-fulham-to-stretch-lead-2390317

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Fulham learn bravery can only go so far against Man City as gulf laid bare by transfer contrast

Scott Parker's team showed courage until they were undone by sloppy work in defence but the idea of them competing against a superclub in the first place should be far fetched

If Scott Parker was asked to name a satisfactory points return from this fiendish run of fixtures 10 days ago, the Fulham head coach would likely have cut a deal should you have offered three.


Last Sunday's win away to Liverpool could easily have seen Fulham consider facing a Manchester City team that has now won 23 of their past 24 matches a free hit. And yet Parker will be more than justified to wake up this morning feeling deflated and frustrated by how his team fell apart in 14 second-half minutes.

Up until half time Fulham were well in the game against the champions elect, who are now 17 points clear before Manchester United host West Ham this evening.

Fulham had not produced much of note in attack but they were comfortable in midfield, the defence looked solid and Alphonse Areola had little to do aside from one save from Bernardo Silva.

Then, 76 seconds after the break, they started to fall apart. It was a collapse that seemed so uncharacteristic for this season but offered reminders of the team that Parker inherited two seasons ago when relegation was already almost assured.

He always wants his team to show bravery and play with courage, irrespective of the opponent, but that should not necessarily equate to a higher degree of sloppiness. Ensuring this was a one off is imperative ahead of Friday night's trip to Leeds United.

"I asked the team to be brave and show some real courage," Parker said, having decided to go man to man with City's midfield. "That's what you have to do against a top side like Man City if you're to try and leave a mark and have an affect on the game. We did that but the mistakes and goals we let in were poor."

Parker said it was not an evening to write off, stressing the need to analyse and learn from mistakes for a young squad displaying impressive and continuous growth, but there is also a wider point to consider from fixtures such as these.

Only the deluded or those with no understanding of the financial disparity that exists within the Premier League would have expected Fulham to get a result. Money dictates that these plucky underdogs should not be competing with Europe's superclubs. It has been a problem for some time, of course, but it is only getting worse.

City may regularly drop £40m and more on defenders. Fulham by contrast are glad to recruit the leaders' surplus academy graduates in cut price deals while needing to sign seven players on loan to stay within the financial fair play limits should they be relegated.

A back four comprised of two loanees and another pair signed for about £5m, in front of a goalkeeper also on loan, were up against a strikeforce of Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero that has scored two more goals in the 13 games they have started as a duo than the entire Fulham side have managed in 29 league games.

There is no point in Fulham, or those of a similar stature, getting upset by the gulf in resources. Instead they must focus on the battles around them.

While City's relentless pursuit of silverware continues, Parker's task further down the hierarchy is to enable his players to overcome another tough moment and make sure it does not turn into a rut.

"Throughout this year we've been very resilient with the moments of adversity or mistakes and coming out of the side of it, learning," he added. "That won't change, that will be the same. We know we made errors tonight which is not like us but we'll work out where we went wrong, keep moving and keep improving."

He has become accustomed to hearing people say very nice things about his team, the majority of them deserved, but no matter the plaudits and superlatives used around their pretty football the head coach knows that it is a results game.

These were never going to be the games that determine whether Craven Cottage is a Premier League ground again next season. Three points from the past three games is respectable but they need more from the next three, starting with a trip to Leeds on Friday.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-learn-bravery-can-only-20142198

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Jack and Loz Not at the Cottage - Blog 172
Date: 13th March 2021

Opposition: Manchester City

Score: 0-3

MOTM: Not Applicable

Dinner: Loz - Napoletana pizza and Riesling; Jack - feta wrap and Sauvignon Blanc

Manchester City are the best team in Europe, and probably the world. Playing them so soon after our outstanding victory against Liverpool meant we had nothing to lose except our goal difference.

Scott Parker, always cautious anyway, fielded his most defensive line-up ever. No Mitro, no Maja, all 3 CDMs and Cav apparently playing left back. Lookman was charged with the role of (small) centre forward and he acquitted himself well. Frankly, Scott was playing for the draw. Against such superlative opposition this was the right thing to do. And it almost worked.

The first half felt like, if not exactly a top of the table clash, two well-matched teams respectfully testing each other out. Fulham started the game fast and furious - we caused problems for the City defence without ever threatening the goal. Our own defence were, as expected, unfazed and resolute - they started the match where they had left off against Liverpool, dealing with everything which came their way with well-drilled aplomb.

There were danger signs though - City, dark clad and menacing, edged ever nearer to the six yard box, waiting to pounce. Their pressing was the closest and most relentless we have ever seen. Areola became busy and the defensive line wavered. But we got to half time unscathed and nothing which happened after that takes away from that brave and resilient performance.

Of course, it all went wrong in 15 minutes of pain. There is no point (literally) in dwelling on what happened. This was Man City and we were naive - give 'em an inch and they'll take a goal. We were a little unlucky to have the free kick awarded against us but we should have defended it better. While the other two mistakes felt (and we had hoped never to have to mention this term again) Triangle of Doomish, the fact of the matter is City forced those mistakes. No one else can do that to us.

We responded well but this is where the tactics fell down - having gone behind, especially so far behind so quickly, there was never going to be a way back with a dearth of goal scorers on the pitch. Scott got the subs right, and all of Mitro, Onomah and Antonee were excellent. Mitro won a free kick with his first touch (although God knows what Cav was thinking when he took it) and Josh was so strong and effective that we rued even more than usual the stupid deal with C****a which has meant we've had to watch RLC all this time instead of Josh.

At this point we must spare a thought for Man City bloggers. It must be like writing about a machine. The players are components not humans. They don't make mistakes. They don't have to improvise. They follow a script and every week the story ends the same way. Expectations are high and they meet them easily and predictably. They don't even have interesting hair. Yes, they're very good but how do you feel affection for something so clinical?

As for Fulham, we must move on and put the defeat behind us. It is telling that this was our biggest league defeat since September and that, as fans, we are disappointed at losing to the Champions elect. Scott's team of wonder loans has been so good that we've forgotten that we used to lose every week.

This week however, we won one and lost one. And considering the quality of the opposition, to misquote Meatloaf, Three Out Of Two Ain't Bad.

Random musings:-

* Scott had obviously taken our advice and reduced the layers under his grey padded jacket - although it's no longer his lucky one

* we appreciate that City's kit was navy and that was probably more obvious in real life but on TV it looked like everyone was wearing black shorts including the ref

* accessories were coming off all over the place - a Man City boot and Kenny's necklace

* Scott's had a short, back and sides - just a shame his team weren't so tidy

*....while Frank is growing his locks

The goal difference took more of a battering than we would have liked but it is still better than Newcastle's and we have come through a nightmarish run of games still very much in contention.

Our season won't be defined by this match but it will be defined how the players and Scott react to it. And we have no doubt that on Friday night, Leeds will suffer the consequences.



https://werdsmith.com/p/SMHSPZC5WG4Bc