Manchester City 3-2 Fulham: Pep Guardiola’s man inch past Cottagers thanks to Mateo Kovacic double to go 50 unbeaten at the Etihad

Manchester City needed a Mateo Kovacic double to see off a stubborn Fulham side at the Etihad and keep up the pace with leaders Liverpool. 

Two smart finishes from the edge of the box either side of the break seemed to have the game wrapped up but the Cottagers would not go away and a late Rodrigo Muniz strike had a visibly anxious Guardiola on edge – the Spaniard receiving a booking late on as his frustrations boiled over.

There is a sense of inevitability about the four-in-a-row champions but they had to dig deep this afternoon to hold on and make it 50 games unbeaten at the Etihad Stadium.

The home team had put their dominant stamp on the game early on, with four shots for Erling Haaland in the first 20 minutes, but Fulham produced the best chance, a blistering Adama Traore run ended in a feeble effort.

The away side then took a shock lead through former Man United man Andreas Pereira after a cheeky Raul Jimenez backheel found the Brazilian free in the box.

For a short while City were creaking, giving away passes and allowing the visitors through on goal in a manner uncharacteristic of the champions.

But normal service was resumed when Kovacic stroked it home from just inside the box via a couple of telling deflections.

At half-time the game was finely poised, with Traore ruing some poor misses across the first period, but Pep Guardiola’s side dusted themselves in the break and reasserted their authority almost immediately.

Bernardo Silva received the ball from Jack Grealish on the right before placing it deftly into the path of Kovacic who produced another classy finish from the edge of the box for his third of the season and his second of the afternoon.

It seemed now that City would sail off into the sunset and comfortably end their run of consecutive Premier League draws but a dogged Fulham outfit showed the determination and skill that has them sitting in sixth place.

Something special was required to provide Guardiola the breathing room he so desired and the mercurial Jeremy Doku stepped up to take responsibility.

The Belgian drifted in from the left-hand side before rifling a perfect effort into the top right corner to seeimgly put the game beyond Macro Silva’s men. 

But the attitude instilled into the side by the Portuguese boss was there for all to see. 

Continuing to create real opportunities, there was always a feeling a leaky City defence would finally break in a frantic second-half and Muniz leathered the ball home from 15 yards out to provide a grandstand finish.

BUt the the champions held firm to keep the score at 3-2 and gain a well-earned three points that provided an extensive test of their mettle. 

Truer tests of Fulham’s European ambitions lie ahead but the west London side remain in sixth, albeit with a number of teams left to play, after giving the Etihad side a real scare. 

Their attacking flair will devastate weaker opponents throughout the season, with former Wolves pair Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore providing a constant threat.

Meanwhile, City break their recent inertia and remain just a point behind Arne Slot’s Reds on 17 from seven matches. 

More to follow.