City slickers stay in the hunt

IF Manchester City are to go on to cement fourth position and a place in the Champions League, the role of Carlos Tevez should not be underestimated.

This west London encounter should have been out of Fulham’s reach by half-time, following strikes from Roque Santa Cruz and the magnificent Argentine.

Yet rather than push on after the break, City took their foot off the pedal, and by full-time Fulham felt hard done by that they had not followed up that tremendous win over Juventus with another impressive comeback.

Danny Murphy scored a penalty on 75 minutes that gave Fulham a lifeline, and it was only a decision in added time from referee Lee Probert, when he refused to award another spot kick as Vincent Kompany appeared to handle, that let City off the hook.

It was the inspiration of Tevez that again proved vital, and despite the fact they almost threw it away, manager Roberto Mancini seemed delighted with his side’s display.

Perhaps that will prove to be one of their main problems during the run-in.

“It was very comfortable,” Mancini said. “We played a strong game and deserved to win. Fulham played a good game, but after Thursday against Juventus, they were tired.

“The goal from Carlos was key. It was an important win but it’ll be a fight until the end of the season with the other three teams for fourth place. Liverpool are a fantastic team, and I think we must fight with them, Aston Villa and Tottenham.”

Tevez is the reason City are still in with a chance for pushing for fourth place, as they sit two points adrift of Tottenham with a game in hand.

He has scored 16 goals from 24 league starts and his link-up play is just as impressive as his finishing.

Craig Bellamy spent much of the game on the left flank, with Adam Johnson given permission to roam down the right. Fulham found the pair difficult to stop, particularly with Tevez dropping short to join in with City’s build-up play whenever possible.

The home crowd were still talking about that historic win against Juventus as the game got underway, yet they were soon brought back down to earth. Within seconds of them almost taking the lead, it was Mancini’s men who made the breakthrough.

Kolo Toure, the City defender, made a fantastic mid-air clearance on the goalline to clear a Zoltan Gera header that was on its way into the net, and Fulham were caught out on the break. Pablo Zabaleta pinged a quick ball into the feet of Tevez, who turned to find Bellamy in space on the right.

He teased his way towards the corner of the penalty area, before releasing a shot that deflected off the toe of Fulham’s Aaron Hughes and onto the post.

Home goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer attempted to scramble the ball away as he lay grounded, but as he flicked the ball into the air, Santa Cruz arrived to poke into the goal to mark his third league goal of the campaign.

In light of Fulham’s game in midweek, when they clawed their way back from a 4-1 aggregate deficit to beat Juve, supporters inside Craven Cottage kept faith. But sadly there was never any sign that feat would be repeated.

On 36 minutes, and after Tevez had an effort kept out by Schwarzer, the visitors doubled their lead. It was no surprise Tevez was the man steering the ball into the net.

Bellamy’s pass from the left flank, where he looked effective up against Chris Baird, found Tevez in the box and Chris Smalling was left in no man’s land as he made a lunging tackle. Tevez did not need any more encouragement to shoot, and quickly sent an effort beyond Schwarzer.

Mancini’s men did not seem to pursue a further goal though, and as a result Fulham found a path back into the game. A handball from Gareth Barry brought about the opportunity, as Murphy produced a fine spot kick.

Substitute Stefano Okaka spurned a great opportunity for Fulham, who pushed on in hope of another great comeback, and late on they were denied a penalty as Vincent Kompany appeared to handle.

“I was 70 yards away, so I’m not commenting,” said Fulham’s honest manager Roy Hodgson. “But that’s how close we came to earning a draw. City were much happier to hear the final whistle than we were.”

MATCH RATING: *** – Despite a spirited display, Fulham’s midweek exertions seemed to take their toll and City even faded in the second half despite their motivation to push for fourth place.

REFEREE: Lee Probert (Gloucestershire) 5 – Right to award Fulham’s first penalty, but Kompany appeared to handle in added time and another spot kick could have been awarded if the official had been braver.