Kovacic brace helps City pass tough Fulham test
KEY MAN: Manchester City's Mateo Kovacic (left) celebrates with Phil Foden after scoring their side's second goal of the game. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.
Manchester City made it 17 wins out of the last 17 encounters with Fulham although this was anything but the usual stroll for Pep Guardiola's team.
Guardiola described his Fulham counterpart Marco Silva as a "top manager" in his programme notes saying: "I enjoy so much playing against his teams because always you know you will learn something new.”
Well, Silva certainly gave him plenty to think about in this game - and if the ever-wasteful Adama Traore had taken a hat-trick of chances it would have been a different story.
Even when Jeremy Doku's 80th minute goal looked to have finally off the plucky Cottagers they kept City on their toes to the end thanks to Rodrigo Muniz's late goal.
City started as if they wanted to finish the job early with Ilkay Gundogan and Erling Haaland both firing just wide in the first few minutes.
But Fulham grew in confidence and should have taken the lead with their first serious attack after 16 minutes when Traore proved too strong for Rico Lewis as he raced onto Raul Jimenez's through pass but his shot was saved by Ederson's outstretched leg.
It was a warning that City failed to heed with the visitors taking the lead in the 26th minute after a superb six-man move that ended with Jimenez producing a brilliant backheel on the half volley that went over Manuel Akanji's head and set up Andreas Pereira for a close-range finish he couldn't miss.
Fulham should have been 2-0 up moments later but Traore was the culprit again, this time lifting his shot over the bar after being set up by Alex Iwobi following a quick break down the right by former Manchester United midfielder Pereira.
City were stung into a quick response and took only six minutes to equalise. Kovacic's powerful shot from the edge of the area took a big deflection off Joachim Andersen to wrong-foot keeper Leon.
No doubt fired up after a few well-chosen words from Guardiola, they took only two minutes of the second half to move ahead - with Kovacic again the scorer and this time with no need for a deflection.
Phil Foden's deep cross from the left was chested down by Bernardo Silva who rolled the ball back into the path of Kovacic who neatly sidestepped Andersen before firing home from the edge of the area.
But the expected City avalanche failed to materialise. Traore missed his third great chance for Fulham when he burst clean through again but once again he lacked composure when it came to pulling the trigger and his shot was saved by Ederson.
Josko Gvardiol then produced a vital block to stop Jimenez from equalising before sub Doku looked to have sealed the points when he cut inside Timothy Castagne to fire a rocket into the top corner.
But Fulham kept City's nerves jangling to the end with another sub Muniz turning smartly onto Castagne's low cross to make it 3-2 as City stretched their unbeaten run at the Etihad to 50 games and equalled a club record of 30 unbeaten at home in the Premier League in the process.
Ederson 7; Lewis 6, Akanji 6 (Walker 61, 6), Dias 6, Gvardiol 7; Kovacic 8, Gundogan 6 (Nunes 88, 5); Silva 6, Foden 6 (Stones 77, 6) , Grealish 6 (Doku 61, 7); Haaland 5.
Leno 7; Tete 7 (Castagne 76, 5), Andersen 7, Bassey 7, Robinson 7; Lukic 6, Berge 6 (Cairney 64, 6) Traore 5, Pereira 7 (Smith Rowe 64, 6), Iwobi 7 (Nelson 76, 5); Jimenez 8 (Muniz 77, 5).
Peter Bankes 7.
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