Haaland hits century and Foden sparkles as Man City survive mammoth Fulham comeback

SHINING LIGHTS: Manchester City's Phil Foden celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal with Erling Haaland. Pic: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire.

Premier League: Fulham 4 Manchester City 5  

Record-smasher Erling Haaland celebrated a century of goals and Phil Foden put in another sparkling performance but that wasn't half the story. 

Manchester City survived a scare as big as the Norwegian himself before moving to within two points of leaders Arsenal.

Fulham threatened to pull off the mother of all comebacks having recovered from 5-1 down to spend the final 20 minutes furiously hunting an equaliser.

It didn't come but Fulham's quartet of young attacking substitutes nonetheless provided a blueprint for others send Pep Guardiola and Co. into an utter funk.

Haaland messed up a simple early chance to become the Premier League's fastest man to reach three figures but snapped up his next opportunity instead to reach the milestone in 111 appearances, 13 games faster than Alan Shearer managed.

Foden scored two with Tijani Reijnders and Jeremy Doku also on the score sheet for City, whose leakiness at the other end will not have gone un-noticed by Arsenal, who host Brentford. 

Fulham never gave up and so nearly pulled it off.

Shearer's record really should have disappeared in the sixth minute when Foden slipped his body into space and slipped the ball through for the Viking raider to bear down on goal. 

Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates scoring the opening goal, his 100th Premier League goal. Pic: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire.

Bernd Leno advanced to meet him knowing he had no chance yet somehow Haaland found post instead of net. 

There was to be no respite for the hosts in the 17th minute however when Doku crossed from the left, Foden dummied and Haaland lashed home first time from the penalty spot, left-footed and through Leno.

Emile Smith Rowe was determined to have his say however and, one silky touch in the box later, had forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a parry. 

Haaland's smile was absent when Calvin Bassey trampled him off the ball, an incident that referee Craig Pawson missed and VAR decided was not worth a second mention.

Haaland then turned provider as City doubled their lead in the 37th minute. Joachim Andersen was shouldered out of the way to make space for a simple forward pass that set Reijnders racing away with Bassey in tow. The finish was quality.

There was still time before the break for Foden to remind us what a class act he is. Leno punched a corner to where the England forward was lurking on the edge of the box; a touch later and the ball was arcing beyond the German into the top corner.

And time too for Smith Rowe to get on the score-sheet, two minutes into stoppage time. Harry Wilson, a scorer from the touchline against Tottenham at the weekend, crossed from the right and this time his target was able to cushion a stooping header across Donnarumma and high into the net.

The second half began with Foden restoring that three-goal cushion and Haaland claiming another assist - of sorts. It appeared that Doku's ball in from the left bounced clumsily off the striker's foot but that was just fine for Foden as he arrived at the back post.

Fulham imploded six minutes later, with Andersen guilty of giving the ball to Doku on the edge of his own box. The Belgium launched a shot that looped over Leno off Timothy Castagne, one of two half-time changes, for goal number five.

Again Fulham immediately pulled another back through Alex Iwobi's thump from well outside the box. Seven goals and not yet an hour on the clock.

Marco Silva's side forced City to defend until Savinho, on for Doku, set Haaland up for another great chance.

The goal machine had little difficulty out-jumping Ryan Sessegnon at the back post for a header that hit the inside of the upright and bounced across goal once again.

Again Fulham took this as a cue to show they were not finished with Samuel Chukwueze lashing home after Bernardo Silva had diverted a cross into the substitute's path. VAR took an age investigating a number of possible offside moments but decided it should stand. 

Chukwueze's response was to smack in another, arriving on the edge of the box to drive Donnarumma's punched clearance back through a host of bodies and into the net. Craven Cottage erupted and would not shut up.

City hearts were in mouths when another Fulham substitute, Jonah Kusi-Asari, went down in the box under Nico O'Reilly's challenge, with the home fans calling in vain for VAR to intervene.

Chukwueze fired off target in search of the match ball and Josko Gvardiol cleared off the line to deny Kevin.

Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno 6; Tete 6 (Castagne 46, 5), Andersen 6, Bassey 7, Sessegnon 7, Lukic 5 (Chukwueze 46, 8), Berge 6; Wilson 7 (Kevin 82, 6), Smith Rowe 8 (King 74, 7), Iwobi 7; Jimenez 6 (Kusi-Asare 73, 7).

Manchester City (4-3-3): Donnarumma 7; Nunes 6, Dias 7, Gvardiol 7, O'Reilly 6; Reijnders 7 (Cherki 82), Gonzalez 6 (Stones 65, 5), Silva 6; Foden 8 (Ake 90, 4), Haaland 7, Doku 7 (Savinho 65, 5).

Referee: Craig Pawson 6