Thursday Fulham Stuff - 12/02/26...

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Results

Wednesday 11/02
Villa	1-0	Brighton
Palace	2-3	Burnley
Man City	3-0	Fulham
Forest	0-0	Wolves
Sunderland	0-1	Liverpool

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Manchester City 3-0 Fulham

At a glance

    Manchester City beat Fulham to close gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to three points

    Antoine Semenyo, Nico O'Reilly and Erling Haaland score first half goals for City

    Fulham have now lost past 20 meetings against City

Manchester City turned up the heat in the Premier League title race by taking apart Fulham in the first-half to close the gap on leaders Arsenal to just three points.

The Gunners are looking over their shoulders before Thursday's trip to Brentford after Pep Guardiola's side backed up Sunday's last-gasp comeback at Liverpool by sealing a comfortable three points at Etihad Stadium.

Three goals in the space of 15 first-half minutes inflicted the damage against the Cottagers, who have now suffered three consecutive defeats.

The quickfire sequence of goals began when visiting midfielder Sander Berge miscued a clearing header into the path of Antoine Semenyo who poked home from close range for his fifth goal in eight game since signing for City in January.

The Ghanaian then turned provider just six minutes later, sliding a pass onto the run of Nico O'Reilly to double the lead with a deft finish over the advancing Bernd Leno.

And City sealed the points before half-time as Phil Foden found the run of Erling Haaland, who drilled home an unerring finish low into the bottom corner.

Marco Silva's side will be ruing a missed opportunity by midfielder Harry Wilson, whose low strike at 1-0 down was batted away by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Man City analysis: Magnificent midweek run continues
Make no bones about it, City are well and truly in this title race.

Guardiola's side had gone four games without victory at the start of the year, but have responded by winning three of the last four, with the 2-2 draw at Tottenham - having been 2-0 ahead - the only slight blemish.

Victory over Fulham reinforced Etihad Stadium as a fortress for City, extending their unbeaten home run to 12 games and now taking 47 points from a possible 54 – it is the type of run that could prove crucial in the chase for the top-flight crown.

Forward Semenyo has settled in seamlessly since his £62.5m move from the Cherries and he left his mark on the game by scoring and providing an assist to take his tally to 17 goal contributions in the league this season.

City were in such a commanding position at the break that Guardiola could afford to take Haaland off after the Norwegian scored his 22nd league goal of the campaign and his eighth in as many appearances against Fulham.

Englishman Foden, meanwhile, was left on the bench at Anfield and though he started this game and looked sprightly in most parts, he failed to get on the scoresheet after seeing a low shot batted away by goalkeeper Leno, and has now gone 14 games without a goal.

The result means City continued their remarkable run in midweek games as they are now without defeat in 56 such encounters – a record which goes back all the way to 2010.

Fulham analysis: Miserable record against City goes on
Fulham have hit a rut with consecutive defeats leaving them 12th in the table, and they never looked like getting out of this game from the first whistle.

The Cottagers' backline found it difficult to cope with City's high press and there was only pride to play for after conceding three times in the opening period.

The latest defeat means Portuguese boss Silva has now remarkably lost all 14 Premier League meetings as manager against City, having also taken charge of Hull, Watford and Everton in the top-flight.

Fulham's own record against City is a thoroughly wretched one, now suffering 20 straight losses against them in all competitions – the longest losing run against another side in English football history.

It could have been a different story had Wilson converted in the first half, but they were made to pay dearly for the miss.

What next for these two sides?
Both of these two sides are in FA Cup fourth round action at the weekend.

Manchester City host locals Salford City on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 GMT), while Fulham travel to Championship side Stoke on Sunday (14:00).



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cx2g2jy478yt

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Post-Man City Press Conference
Marco Silva was not happy with the goals Fulham gave up to Manchester City on Wednesday evening.

A ruthless 15 minute spell in the first half proved pivotal, as the hosts struck three times through Antoine Semenyo, Nico O'Reilly and Erling Haaland to claim the point.

"Not good, not good enough, definitely," was Silva's initial assessment of the game.

"Of course, as always, we have to be humble enough to congratulate our opponent, and definitely City were better than us, simple as that. But, looking for us as always, we were not at the level.

"We knew how probably they were going to start, their high press, and on the ball clearly we didn't play in the way we are capable to play. The man on man that City put most of the time during the first half, we were not able to break.

"One or two moments we did it – that was the reason, for example, that created the chance with Harry Wilson when the game was 1-0 and we had a big chance to equalise.

"But even so, overall, it was not at a level that we are capable to play, definitely. That was not good enough, and we gave some cheap goals. Simple as that.

"The first goal, [we] tried to make a clearance, instead of going in the right direction the ball went to Semenyo.

"The way we're not able to stop the counter attack in the second goal as well. That is the two against one on Haaland, we have to do much better in that moment. That was seconds after the chance with Harry Wilson to equalise the game.

"Simple as that, they were better than us. Even so, not performing so well, the reality is we had the chance with Harry Wilson to equalise the game. End of the first half, big chance with Raúl one on one with [Gianluigi] Donnarumma as well.

"These type of games, even if you aren't at your best level, when you have a chance, you have to be clinical and ruthless there. We weren't, and that was the reason why we were losing the game at half-time.

"Second half was different, of course City didn't press so high, [because] they were winning the game, they went in a different direction. We had more control of the game. Not big chances for both sides, I think it was a really balanced second half.

"We definitely congratulate City, but we are capable to do much better, and we cannot be happy with our performance at all."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/february/11/post-man-city-press-conference/

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Evangelos Marinakis targeting another former Everton manager in Marco Silva to replace Sean Dyche
Sean Dyche is under mounting pressure at Nottingham Forest, with a report suggesting another former Everton manager could replace him.

Sean Dyche has overseen 24 games as Forest boss after replacing Ange Postecoglou earlier this season, and had been hoping to make an impression after leaving Everton just over a year ago.

Dyche got off to a decent start, winning seven of his first 12 games across all competitions.

But the tide has turned for Dyche at Nottingham Forest recently. He has now lost seven of the last 12, drawing two and winning just three.

And now, in a development that may interest Everton fans, Evangelos Marinakis has his eyes on a replacement.

Marco Silva could replace Sean Dyche at Nottingham Forest
According to TEAMtalk, Forest owner Marinakis is strongly considering sacking Dyche for poor results.

Marinakis is said to have grown 'increasingly exasperated' with how Forest's campaign has gone, and now there is word of another former Everton manager being on his radar.

That man is Marco Silva, who Marinakis is said to be 'desperate' to bring to The City Ground.

It would truly be quite something if Dyche was sacked and Silva replaced him.

It would see Silva become Forest's fourth manager of the season, and it would also see him walk away from Fulham who are trying to extend his contract. His deal expires in the summer.

It remains to be seen if Marinakis will get his wish. But a lot of Everton fans would question whether sticking with Dyche would be the right thing, given the Toffees were hurtling towards relegation before he left.

How Marco Silva and Sean Dyche compared at Everton
Marco Silva had an 18-month stint at Everton.

He took 60 games, winning 24, drawing 12 and losing 24, giving him a win percentage of 40%.

There were signs of promise in Silva's first season, but it fell apart in his second term thanks in part to some poor summer recruitment. He was sacked after Everton slipped into the relegation zone.

Dyche took the reins at Everton in January 2023, and was sacked two years later.

He came on the scene during a tough time for the club, but kept Everton in the Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 season.

The following season, Everton were hit by hit with two separate points deductions totaling eight points for financial breaches, but Dyche still kept Everton up, finishing 16th.

He left in January 2025, with a record of 84 matches managed, winning 26, drawing 26 and losing 32, for a win percentage of 31%.



https://www.everton.news/evangelos-marinakis-targeting-another-former-everton-manager-in-marco-silva-to-replace-sean-dyche/

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Fulham, PSV Eindhoven working on £30 million deal for Ricardo Pepi
Fulham and PSV Eindhoven remain engaged in talks for Ricardo Pepi following a breakdown in a move in January.

According to TEAMtalk, Fulham have not given up on the signing of Ricardo Pepi as they continue to hold discussions with PSV Eindhoven. The Cottagers came agonisingly close to signing the USMNT star in the winter window, but the move broke down; there's hope for a summer arrival.

Ricardo Pepi was one of the major targets for Fulham during the winter transfer window, as the club looked to sign attackers to improve their squad. There are various reasons for targeting the PSV Eindhoven star, with the Cottagers showing eagerness to upgrade certain attacking positions, while they also let go of Adama Traore.

The West London outfit do need to bring in a prolific striker with Raul Jimenez entering the latter stages of his career, while Rodrigo Muniz's lack of fitness is another issue. Pepi brings in the energy and youth into this setup, as Fulham were very close to signing him in January.

The move broke down at the death as PSV could not sort out a replacement for the USMNT international, who has contributed to 13 goals this season. Ricardo Pepi was keen on joining the West Londoners in January and emulating some of his compatriots like Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride and Tim Ream as an example.

Fulham have revived talks with PSV and are already discussing a summer deal for the attacker. The report states, the Cottagers are negotiating the fee, as they are now willing to pay around £30 million compared to the £32.2 million they had agreed in January.

Is Ricardo Pepi's signing connected to Marco Silva's future?
Pepi's arrival was earmarked as the type of signing that would let the club convince Marco Silva to stay put as he enters a crucial period with regard to his contractual situation. The Cottagers are making ambitious plans for the summer window, as a host of signings are planned to help them keep hold of the Portuguese boss.

The uncertain future of Marco Silva has also affected the club's chances of keeping hold of star man Harry Wilson, with the winger waiting to find out what transpires with the manager's situation. For now, signings like Pepi would be the step in the right direction, as they will hope signings of the quality of the USMNT star will galvanise the team and help keep the manager.



https://thehardtackle.com/transfer-news/2026/02/11/fulham-psv-eindhoven-working-on-30-million-deal-for-ricardo-pepi/

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Fulham well beaten by title-chasing City
Fulham were no match for title-chasing Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Three goals in the space of 15 first-half minutes, scored by Antoine Semenyo, Nico O'Reilly and Erling Haaland, put the hosts in complete control.

Semenyo scored the opener by firing home the loose ball after Matheus Nunes' cross had hit Fulham midfielder Sander Berge.

O'Reilly doubled City's lead, laying the ball off to Semenyo, collecting the return pass and dinking the ball over keeper Bernd Leno.

Haaland then found the bottom corner with a left-footed strike from near the edge of the penalty area.

Fulham were better in the second half and City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a number of saves.

Those included one to deny Rodrigo Muniz after the striker had been set up by Kevin, and another in stoppage time to tip over an effort from Josh King.
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon, Berge (Reed 80) Iwobi, Smith Rowe (King 60), Wilson (Bobb 72), Chukwueze (Kevin 60), Jimenez (Muniz 60).
Subs not used: Lecomte, Castagne, Cuenca, Robinson.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/man-city-v-fulham-report-0222833

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Man City 3-0 Fulham: Erling Haaland on target as pressure heaped on Arsenal in title race
Pep Guardiola's men scored three before the break to dispatch the Cottagers

Erling Haaland moved joint-fourth on Manchester City's all-time scorer's list as Pep Guardiola's side overpowered Fulham 3-0 to turn up the heat on Arsenal.

Haaland netted his 153rd City goal, moving him level with Colin Bell, in a comfortable victory at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday that trimmed the Gunners' Premier League lead to three points.

Antoine Semenyo opened the scoring as he continued his superb start in City colours while Nico O'Reilly was also on target in a one-sided contest played in persistent rain.

All City's goals came in the first half and, with the job apparently done, Haaland did not return for the second half.

After a recent dip in form, the Norwegian held his nerve to score a vital penalty winner at Liverpool on Sunday and that may have reignited his campaign.

The goal that matched Bell's career tally for the club - also his 29th of the season in all competitions - came in his 183rd appearance, a remarkable feat. Bell played 492 games for City.

The game was a stroll for City. They led 5-1 after 57 minutes in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage in December and eventually scraped home 5-4, but there was little prospect of a similar fightback this time.

Fulham were as compliant as City could have wished for and repeatedly gave the ball away to allow the hosts to keep attacking.

It seemed only a matter of time before they broke through and Phil Foden, making his first start in four Premier League games, twice went close early on and O'Reilly fired narrowly over.

The opener came after 24 minutes when Matheus Nunes swung a cross in from the right and Haaland headed down for Semenyo to slide in and touch past Bernd Leno.

It was the winger's fifth goal in eight appearances since joining City and his third against Fulham this season after netting two for Bournemouth in October.

Fulham had a chance against the run of play when Harry Wilson forced a good save from Gianluigi Donnarumma but City instantly countered and doubled the lead on the half-hour mark.

Haaland was caught by Joachim Andersen during the charge forward but Semenyo took up the attack and fed O'Reilly, who showed composure to lift the ball over Leno.

City grabbed their third after Fulham again lost possession. Rayan Ait-Nouri found Foden, who in turn fed Haaland on the edge of the box.

The Norwegian was clinical with a powerful strike into the bottom corner, his first league goal from open play since December.

There was a penalty check before the interval for an alleged hair-pull on Semenyo but nothing was given.

City eased off after the break and Fulham tried to rally but a lively burst by Wilson came to nothing.

The visitors were unable to build any momentum even as City's intensity dropped.

Foden had a long-range attempt but lacked the power to trouble Leno while Josh King tested Donnarumma late on.



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/man-city-fulham-result-premier-league-b1270650.html

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Wilson wins PFA Fans' Player of the Month
Harry Wilson has been named PFA Fans' Player of the Month for January.

The winger bagged three times last month, and they were all valuable strikes – the opener in a draw with Liverpool preceding winning goals against both Chelsea and Brighton.

For good measure, he also claimed a goal and an assist in the FA Cup victory over Middlesbrough.

Congratulations, H!

https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/february/11/wilson-wins-pfa-fans-player-of-the-month/

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Man City 3-0 Fulham
A ruthless first half display from Manchester City saw us fall to a 3-0 defeat at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.

The home side – buoyed by their late heroics at Anfield on Sunday – were in devastating form early on, and had the game under control inside a 15 minute period that witnessed goals from Antoine Semenyo, Nico O'Reilly and Erling Haaland.

The Fulham response was admirable in the second half, though, having the better of the play and spending the majority of it in City territory, but the rainy evening ended up being a fruitless one for the lads in black and gold.

Marco Silva made a couple of changes in defence for the trip north, with Kenny Tete and Calvin Bassey replacing Timothy Castagne and Jorge Cuenca.

Phil Foden scored a banger in the reverse fixture at the Cottage and caught another strike sweetly inside eight minutes, but a brave Joachim Andersen block sent it whistling just over the bar.

The same man got another effort on target soon after when looking to slip the ball underneath Bernd Leno, but our number one got down quickly and held it well in the soggy conditions.

It had been all City in the first quarter of the game, but Alex Iwobi looked to capitalise on a rare Fulham attack, jinking into the box before poking in a shot that deflected behind.

But the hosts dealt with the corner and went up to other end to break the deadlock, with Semenyo devastatingly punishing a ricochet off Sander Berge to prod the loose ball beyond Leno from close range.

Fulham responded with a bright move involving Emile Smith Rowe and Harry Wilson who each found space well. It ended with Wilson trying to feed his teammate only to see the ball come back to him, so he went for a snapshot that Gianluigi Donnarumma saved smartly.

Frustratingly, City's reaction to a Whites attack was once again another goal. Semenyo turned provider this time, teeing up O'Reilly who chipped a confident finish over Leno.

Two soon became three, with Haaland adding his name to the scoresheet with an arrowed finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the box after Rayan Ait-Nouri had won possession in our half.

The boys kept pushing and came close to pulling one back just before half-time when Wilson found the run of Raúl Jiménez, but his ball across the face was too far in front of Smith Rowe who couldn't reach it at full stretch for a tap-in.

Raúl then drew another save from Donnarumma when he outmuscled Matheus Nunes to connect with Tete's delivery, but it didn't have the power to trouble the Italy international.

A positive start to the second half saw Smith Rowe pounce on a loose pass and dribble into the area, trying to catch Donnarumma out at his near post with a low shot, but the City stopper was alert to the danger.

We kept that momentum going with a half chance in the 53rd minute – Samuel Chukwueze swung over a deep cross to Raúl, but he couldn't get over the ball and so his header cleared the target.

City's first shot of the half came just before the hour mark, but Leno was equal to Foden's deflected strike.

The introduction of Rodrigo Muniz made up one third of a triple substitution by Silva, and he called Donnarumma into action midway through the half when he beat away the Brazilian's shot on the spin.

Fulham kept plugging away, determined to give the travelling fans behind the goal something to cheer, and almost did just that when Josh King – another sub – controlled, swivelled and smashed in a shot that needed tipping over in stoppage time.

It had been a much improved display after the break, but ultimately the lads returned to London empty handed.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/february/11/man-city-3-0-fulham/

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Man City pile pressure on Arsenal with Fulham cruise as Erling Haaland scores again
MANCHESTER CITY 3-0 FULHAM: Erling Haaland made the game safe before half-time with an exquisite finish after Antoine Semenyo and Nico O'Reilly had put City in control

For a good 20 minutes, nothing much went right for Antoine Semenyo. He was involved in some promising moves but, unfortunately, his involvement generally meant those moves came to an unproductive end.

He is that type of player, Semenyo. For lengthy spells, he can look out of sorts. He can look out of rhythm with his team-mates.

But this is a player Pep Guardiola needed - a player to share the attacking strain with Erling Haaland.

A player who can sense areas of vulnerability, a player who is skilful without being over-elaborate, a player always alert to the defensive mis-step, a pain for full-backs and centre-backs alike.

He can play wide, he can play central, but, above all, he is a bona fide striker.

He is predatory, anticipating the misdirected header from Sander Berge to open the scoring after those ineffective 20 minutes.

He can pick the simple, effective pass, as he did to enable Nico O'Reilly to round off a real whip-crack of a counter-attack with Manchester City's second.

And he can make a diversionary run, the type of which gave Haaland the space to collect Phil Foden's clever short pass and fizz home his first goal from open play in the Premier League in almost eight weeks.

That made it three before the break, allowing Guardiola not to risk Haaland in the second half after the striker had taken a knock in playing his part in the build-up to O'Reilly's beauty.

Haaland had been fit enough to carry on long enough to score his 22nd Premier League goal of the season, so the issue can surely not have been that serious but Semenyo's signing at least reassures Guardiola that he has alternatives if the worst occurred.

Anyhow, Haaland will need his minutes managed in the hectic finale to City's season.

And the same goes for other key players. With the advantage still at three after an hour, Guardiola was able to give Bernardo Silva a breather and after his efforts over the past few matches, it was certainly deserved.

If City do push Arsenal all the way, no-one will have played a more important role than Silva has played.

Remarkably, Silva - at the age of 31 - seems to get more indefatigable with age.

For one half, he pretty much ran the show against a Fulham side that were pleasant on the eye without really threatening to cause an upset.

They should have troubled the scoreboard but found Gianluigi Donnarumma in decent form and wasted a couple of openings with surprisingly sloppy passes.

And in a second half when there were more substitutions than attempts on goal, the game became a complete non-event.

Although the outcome was settled, City were a touch disappointing in their attacking efforts but while they made little impact, the quality of the substitutes was significant.

With an increasingly healthy roster, this is a City squad that looks distinctly capable of keeping the pressure on Arsenal.

And in Semenyo, they have an asset that will lead the way.



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/man-city-fulham-haaland-highlights-36708524

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Manchester City make quick work of Fulham but Haaland off early with 'niggles'
Manchester City's week is moving along sweetly, this win closing the gap to three points to Arsenal, who travel to Brentford on Thursday. On Sunday, they defeated Liverpool at Anfield, on Wednesday they downed Fulham at home to reel off a 20th consecutive victory against them.

The rosiest moment for the title challengers was Erling Haaland's 39th‑minute strike, a first in the competition from open play in nine games, though more concerning was his removal at the break, when City led 3-0.

"Niggles," Pep Guardiola said. "Fatigue. He said: 'I don't feel comfortable.' With 3-0 and a lot of games and having Omar [Marmoush] – common sense to take him off."

The clean sheet raises City's goal difference to +30, two behind Arsenal. Who knows: the metric may prove the decider when the crown is handed out in May. Guardiola, though, refused to embrace City being three points behind the Gunners.

"We are not three points before they play Brentford, after that we'll see," he said. "It's more important how we can be more consistent over 90 minutes. But a really good performance, one of the best. After Anfield it is important – these emotional games – the next one is always tricky."

You had to go back to April 2009 for the last time Fulham defeated City when a Clint Dempsey double helped them to secure a 3-1 win here. Since then, the aggregate score was 53‑21 to the home team – a terrible statistic for the visitors that would plunge further.

Phil Foden, back in the league XI for the first time in five games, had a volley from outside the area deflected. Then, from inside, saw a shot saved by Bernd Leno.

In continual rain, Marco Silva bemoaned Harry Wilson going backwards along the right, but a press featuring Antoine Semenyo, Haaland, Nico O'Reilly, Foden and Rodri meant he had scant other choice.

Semenyo opened the scoring when Rodri sprayed a pass left to Matheus Nunes, he crossed, and Haaland leaped and missed, which caused Sander Berge to head towards his goal, where the forward struck for a fifth in eighth appearances.

Next came Kenny Tete pulling Semenyo's hair as City crowded Fulham's area. "I went to attack the corner and I just felt a tug on my hair, I let the referee know," Semenyo said. "They checked it and said there wasn't enough."

Fulham's concession of O'Reilly's second came when Haaland stretched to feed him near halfway and was taken down by Joachim Andersen. O'Reilly found Semenyo, carried on along the left, took the return and defeated Leno. City celebrated and Andersen was booked by Paul Tierney for the challenge.

Fulham needed to steady themselves, but failed as Haaland scored. Receiving from Foden near the D a touch tipped the ball on to his left and he drilled beyond Leno.

After a misplaced Marc Guéhi header allowed Wilson to feed Emile Smith Rowe, who narrowly missed, Guardiola ended the period jumping at his side's laxness.

In the reverse, helter-skelter fixture, City were 4-1 up by 48 minutes and ended hanging on for a 5-4 win. Could Fulham engineer something similar? No, was the answer despite there being no Haaland to contend with for the second half.

City popped the ball about but Guardiola was no happier, so Tijjani Reijnders and Abdukodir Khusanov entered for Bernardo Silva and Nunes, as Silva made a triple change – Kevin, Rodrigo Muniz and Josh King for Samuel Chukwueze, Smith Rowe and Raul Jiménez.

When Rodri, Guéhi and Khusanov combined near their goal suddenly City were upfield and Foden could release Semenyo: the move faltered but the flow here was City in their best mode.

A Foden challenge on Calvin Bassey had him booked as City sought to slow the contest and protect the lead. Helpful, too, was a Wilson corner – a rarity for Fulham – he overhit all the way over to the left.

By 70 minutes Rayan Cherki and Nico González were involved, as Guardiola freshened the legs more – Rodri and Foden making way – this after Donnarumma repelled, low, a Muniz effort.

As the game petered out, Donnarumma tipped over from King, but with 12 games left City are where Guardiola wants them: in the hunt.

Silva said: "Not good enough from us, we were not at the level and the demands of a game like this one. We didn't play in the way we are capable of playing."

They were, in fact, very far off what was required.



https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/manchester-city-quick-extending-fulham-214700244.html

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Fulham blown apart by Man City in dismal first half
A 3-0 defeat at the Etihad makes it four losses out of five for Silva's men

Football against Manchester City is not fun. We've known this for some time - Fulham are currently on the wrong side of the longest winning run against a single opponent in English football history - but tonight, coming off painful late defeats against Manchester United and Everton, Pep Guardiola's team unleashed a new world of pain that tore us to pieces in a single half. Goals from Semenyo, O'Reilly and Haaland signalled an early death for our hopes this evening, and if current form is to be taken seriously Fulham's season is starting to falter.

First Half
City's late victory against Liverpool has been described by many as the kickstart to their title campaign, potentially the start of the endgame for their aspirations of becoming Premier League champions again. The early evidence certainly suggested this, with Fulham cast as the hapless onlookers. Guardiola teams like to dominate the ball and this was as typical as it gets, a team of attackers moving possession around our half, spreading themselves across the pitch to force our forwards to help out defensively, waiting for our concentration to buckle before playing the ball into danger. It's the calibre of football that has won the man titles everywhere - but it's deeply painful when it's your own team at the other end of the sword.

We've faced this at the Etihad before - we've even given City a few scares in recent years. But today, the team were subdued, trailing City forlornly around the park, and it meant the few times we claimed the ball were quickly shot down by needless miscues and errors. Gold dust for our opponents today. A miscue from Iwobi on the left was pumped back into the exposed flank, letting Foden move the ball to Haaland - his shot deflected off Bassey for a series of corners, each intricate and accurate, the first two producing an O'Reilly shot blocked by Bassey at close range and a Foden volley from outside the box narrowly deflected over by Andersen.

Our defence, unable to withstand the pressure, were losing their heads. Bassey kept drifting out of position, noticed and pounced upon immediately by City on the right - Silva fed it to Nunes, who had the space away from Sessegnon to fire a cross into the box. Foden collected the deflection it took, taking a clever touch to defy the left-back's desperate slide, but the England man put his effort straight into Leno's grasp. It was a mess, and only City's wastefulness seemed able to keep them from opening the scoring. Dias and Guehi sat back as City danced through the evening, pinging the ball fluidly around our disheartened troops. O'Reilly eluded Berge easily, gliding into pockets of space but firing his shots off target.

Unfortunately, our first chance of the game gave City the slap in the face needed to find their killer instinct. Raul, finally in possession in City's half, moved the ball left to Chukwueze. With pace, the winger moved parallel to the box and found a central Wilson, who laid the ball off to Iwobi. He drove through the box, cutting through City's stunned midfield, and struck at goal - Ruben Dias, alert to the danger, tracked his run and slid to block the low effort. But moving forward for the corner dislodged what little focus we'd established. For at the next attack, after Rodri's ball over the defence was put into the box from the right by Nunes, a terrible defensive header from Berge smacked the ball straight back across the goal, proving the perfect assist for Semenyo. He stuck a foot out to put it past Leno, opening the scoring for the hosts.

It was a terrible moment, a reminder of the dangers of attacking against a Guardiola team, but it was about to get much worse. Seemingly frenzied by combination of actually having an attack and then conceding a cheap goal, Fulham surged again - Iwobi craftily moved it to Jimenez, Raul again had the eye to spot Smith Rowe amongst a scattered City defence, he in turn took a single touch to bend the pass through Guehi and Ait-Nouri to Wilson, who daggered into the box with a cut-inside and, after deflecting the ball off Guehi, fired an effort at Donnarumma. With a touch more bend it would have scored - instead, the Italian's firm body took the momentum away, and denied us the scoring chance. City needed only a few seconds to turn the game on its head - Nunes, from deep, picked out Haaland in space. Andersen stampeded out of defence to intervene, felling him with a slide tackle, but it was too late - the star-striker knocked it onto O'Reilly, who in turn fed Semenyo darting down the left wing. Flying into the final third, with our defence severely understaffed, he waited for the right moment to play the ball past Tete to O'Reilly's overlap. They'd reached the six-yard box, and after earlier mishaps the young midfielder found the right touch, brilliantly lifting the ball over Leno to plant his strike into the far-right of the goal. 2-0, and Fulham were in serious trouble.

The game was now a mess - Fulham were disjointed and deflated, watching City cruise around in search of a third. They barely even had to defend - Rodri was in the heart of the action, collecting yet another misplaced pass, this time from Leno, and via a deflection fed Foden from the right to produce another shot. A corner saw Tete survive a VAR decision, appearing to yank Semenyo's hair and escaping sanction. Then, the inevitable: Iwobi lost the ball in midfield to Ait-Nouri, who slipped it through to Foden, letting the Englishman take a few strides and knock the ball along to an open Haaland. As ever, Haaland was unstoppable - he changed trajectory, giving himself a split-second with our backline moving the wrong way, and fired the ball through Bassey's legs to guide it besides the post.

It wasn't the end of the half, let alone the game, but at 3-0 it felt terminal. We had a few chances, too - a poor Guehi defensive header gave Wilson an opportunity to charge down the wing, slipping a through ball for Jimenez sneaking behind Ait-Nouri. With no one between him and Donnarumma the world was at his feet; he dinked the ball over the keeper, but sideways across to Smith Rowe, storming into the box. If only Emile were a few inches taller - he couldn't stretch far enough, and the cross trickled in front of goal and out of play. If we'd been a little sharper, we might have stolen a goal back here - City were coasting with their three-goal lead, and decent work by Iwobi let Fulham architect a couple of chances before the break. Yet Wilson's cross to Jimenez produced a header that bounced into the ground for Donnarumma to catch, and as Chukwueze lifted a shot over the bar shortly afterwards, the scoreline still read a somber story.

Second Half
Would the second half produce a recovery reminiscent of the nearly-moment at the Cottage? 3-0 was a smaller margin than the 5-1 drubbing we were enduring that night, and a few similarities could be felt. City had been very impressive but the vulnerabilities were present - they'd toyed with us towards the end of the half, Foden and Haaland snatching at chances they might have scored with a little more focus, and our pathway to the goal was open a few of the times we strung the passes together and had an attacker facing the goal in their half. Could we produce a miracle?

The early signs were good. After riding an early Ait-Nouri cross, an offensive along our right saw Wilson take initiative, trying to use the space around the City backline. A pass deflected off Marmoush reached Smith Rowe, also aware of the gaps our opponent was leaving. He latched onto the ball, burrowing into the box and sliced a shot a goal - Donnarumma, once again, read the situation and dove low to push the shot away. A Chukwueze miscue and a tame Bassey effort were all the corner yielded.

It's frustrating to think we might have given City some problems if we'd played as we did here a little earlier. Fulham put the tempo up a little, stepping into City's half and finally forcing the attackers in blue to rejoin their defensive teammates. This gave us the time to work our offensives, piecing together a few moves: Chukwueze put a ball into the box that Jimenez headed over, and Smith Rowe stealing the ball from a poor Guehi touch required Ait-Nouri to deprive Wilson of a goal-scoring chance right in front of the box. City still had moments - Foden taking a Marmoush cut-back and drilling it low for Leno to save being the clearest - but we were competing in the game, a far cry from the state of affairs in the first half.

We were still three goals down though, and changes had to be made. Our frontline was completely changed as Kevin, King and Muniz arrived to liven up the energy we could spend trying to breach City's defensive quarters. Unfortunately, our hosts today have one of the best squads in the world - a team full of quality internationals, waiting to play the Guardiola way. Marmoush had already swapped for Haaland at half-time, and Reijnders and Khusanov entered to soak up some of the pressure we were trying to impart. It flicked a switch, and City were back to dominating the ball, glowing as they strung together 20, 30, 40 pass moves. They even got their share of refereeing luck, Foden fortunate to escape with a yellow for carelessly standing on Bassey's heel during play.

It had the desired effect for them, taking our threat out of the game and eating away the clock. Unsurprising, given how many matchdays City have left to play, but something that left us in a familiar position, able to "enjoy" possession but unable to regularly penetrate the box. A good move from Wilson and Tete let King nip rightwards to force a corner, but to no avail. Kevin, doing well to dazzle Khusanov and Reijnders on the left, sent a ball into the box for Muniz, who did well to put an effort on target given the acute angle but once again Donnarumma's massive figure blocked the attempt.

The resilience of their keeper transmitted to their defence - Guehi, who'd wobbled earlier in the game, was resolute, repelling a series of crosses from both flanks, wrestling Muniz away from danger and blocking King from striking at goal after he snatched a good ball from Kevin. Punctuated by substitutes and breaks in play, the energy of the game fell away, and our chances were errant opportunities than anything sustained. Kevin received a pass from Muniz that he turned into a Row-Z effort, and though he tried valiantly to atone for it, eluding substitute Khusanov at left-back by supplying King with a shot on the turn, yet another save from Donnarumma pushed the youngster's shot over the bar. The corner, producing a scuffed shot from Bobb and a goalmouth scramble that City cleared, proved the end of proceedings.

Title-chasing City impress
At least it wasn't five? I think we forget sometimes that there's a reason Manchester City enjoy so many games of football, not just against us but in the entirety of Guardiola's stay in England. The thriller last year disguises the fact that they blew us to pieces at many a moment in that game, as they have done to dozens of sides across the country for many years. This is considered one of the weaker teams Pep has built, but they are a few points off 1st place and lead the league in goals, all whilst being contenders in every trophy available to them - it is only the incredible bar for success that City have set that make this season feel a poor one for them.

You can see that in the football City play. We were spectators for most of the first half, stuck watching a carousel of passes fizz around us. You forget how much energy a team spends trying to soak up the pressure - on many an occasion we lacked the impetus to get up the pitch, precisely because the effort had been put into tracking the dozen runs and mini-moves City turn even the most mundane of moments into. Worse, when we tried to pass our way out of trouble, the fearsome sight of a Haaland, Semenyo or Rodri came bearing down on us, letting them force us into a cheap mistake. We trailed 3-0, it frankly could have been six or seven, and only a snippet of the artwork they made in the first half would have been enough to beat us today.

Consider also the importance of the clean sheet - it's easy to praise Haaland's goals, O'Reilly and Semenyo flying into space, or Foden, Bernardo and Rodri weaving silk, because that's what typefies City at any moment. Far harder to spot is the defensive acumen the team are growing. Mistakes in the first half were rectified by the second, as Guehi and Dias fortified the box, Ait-Nouri stepped up to take Wilson out of the game and Khusanov put his all into fighting Kevin even into the dying moments. Donnarumma, an elite shot-stopper, pulled out his best to cancel the efforts that snuck through. It's clear that City will have something to say in the title race yet.

Fulham fall to pieces again
Of course, there's another narrative to spin from this game. Fulham have been defensively suspect for a few weeks now and against a team like this any cracks were bound to be blown open. Bassey returned to the team today and immediately started charging around trying to win the ball, without thought for the fact City could see him doing this and target the space he'd left behind. Andersen was sluggish again, utterly redundant in far too many defensive moments across the game and is enduring a really poor run of form. Our fullbacks were constantly exposed to overlaps and throughballs as a result. They aren't being helped much by the pair in front of them - Iwobi and Berge desperately need players to rotate out for them at this point, because their energy wasn't able to disrupt City's passing machine whatsoever. Both players' weaknesses were on full force today - Iwobi, slick as he was on the ball, spent far too much of the game being breezed past by attackers to attack the backline, whilst Berge shrunk back into his shell on the ball and couldn't diminish any of the pressure the team was facing.

It all produced an environment ripe for game-changing mistakes. Berge's header straight to Semenyo was horrible, Andersen bulldozing Haaland and not even winning the ball gifted City an straight-forward training-ground-esque goal routine, and Fulham failing to keep their cool let City capitalise on a misplaced pass and add a third for very little. You can't defend like that in the Premier League, certainly not if you want to try and advance up the table, and for as good as City are we've shown what we're capable of in many a match against the stronger sides - why couldn't we do it today?

I think this is what really grates - everyone expects Fulham to come away from this game without a point, but there were so many moments that showcased what could have been. With a little more aptitude we'd have taken the ball off City and countered more frequently - when they clicked, the front four demonstrated they could move the ball through City's understaffed defence and get into the opposition box. Donnarumma, though he didn't see the action often, had a few saves to make - imagine the difference in pressure if we'd kept our heads in the first half, and the hosts were clinging to a slender lead for that goalmouth scramble at the end?

If there's a positive to take out of the game, it's that there are attacking options for us around the pitch. King looked ready to get back into the action, giving Guehi work to do late into the game, Kevin had a more productive spell than Chukwueze was able to manage in his time on the pitch and Muniz showcased the kind of physicality the modern forward needs to be competing with players like Guehi and Dias. I liked Bobb's cameo too - given Wilson has played many, many minutes for us he is certainly going to receive some minutes in the near future. Though it's tricky to think of it now, there are still good footballers in this team; perhaps a tie against Stoke in the cup this weekend will remind us that City aren't the typical opponent in the division, and let some of the squad find some much needed form heading into the latter half of the campaign.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/fulham-blown-apart-by-man-city-in

[WhiteJC]

Fulham 'not good enough' in defeat at City – Silva
Marco Silva admitted his Fulham side were well below par in their 3-0 defeat against title-chasing Manchester City.

Three goals in the space of 15 first-half minutes, scored by Antoine Semenyo, Nico O'Reilly and Erling Haaland, put the hosts in complete control.

"Not good. Not good enough. We are not at the level and the demands of a game like this one," Whites boss Silva said.

"We conceded some cheap goals, simple as that."

Fulham were second best but did have chances – not least when Harry Wilson could have equalised.

In the second half, Emile Smith Rowe and Josh King both tested City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Silva said: "The reality is that you had the chance with Wilson to equalise the game. At the end of the first half, a big chance with Raul one-on-one with the keeper as well.

"This type of game, even if you aren't at your best level, when you have the chance (you have) to be clinical and ruthless.

"I think we had a really balanced second half, and definitely congratulations to City, but we are capable of doing much better. We cannot be happy with our performance at all."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-not-good-enough-in-defeat-at-city-silva