Manchester City moved to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal after surviving a dramatic 5-4 win over Fulham, in a game that nearly slipped away after a frantic 20-minute spell in the second half.
The night was highlighted by Erling Haaland reaching his 100th league goal for City, becoming the fastest player in English top-flight history to reach the milestone in just 111 games, surpassing Alan Shearer’s record. Haaland had earlier missed a simple chance but made amends with a thunderous strike. He later set up Tijjani Reijnders, whose precise finish doubled City’s lead. Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno then mishandled a cross, allowing Phil Foden to curl in his first of two goals, seemingly putting City on course for a comfortable victory.
Fulham responded before halftime when Emile Smith-Rowe headed home following clever play from Harry Wilson. Alex Iwobi added another for the hosts after Jeremy Doku had restored City’s five-goal cushion, making the score 5-2.
The second half turned chaotic as Samuel Chukwueze scored twice in six minutes, pulling Fulham to 5-4 and sending the match into a frantic finale. Fulham pressed for an equaliser, but a last-ditch clearance from Josko Gvardiol in the 98th minute spared City further embarrassment.
Despite the scare, Fulham’s struggles against City continued, with this marking their 19th straight defeat in all competitions under Pep Guardiola. Arsenal now have a chance to extend their lead at the top when they host Brentford on Wednesday, while City will take relief from a hard-fought win that was far more eventful than anticipated.
