Erling Haaland became the fastest player to reach one hundred Premier League goals on Tuesday as Manchester City edged Fulham in a frantic nine goal contest at Craven Cottage. City’s 5 to 4 win kept Pep Guardiola’s side within touching distance of the top of the table.
The victory moved City to twenty eight points in second place, two behind leaders Arsenal, who play Brentford on Wednesday. Haaland’s milestone strike set the tone for what looked like a comfortable evening until Fulham mounted a furious late comeback.
Haaland opened the scoring in the seventeenth minute with a powerful left footed finish. Tijjani Reijnders doubled the advantage just before the half hour mark, and Phil Foden added a precise long range effort in the forty fourth minute to put City firmly in control.
Fulham responded seconds before the break when Emile Smith Rowe met a cross with a diving header to give the home side a lifeline.
City restored their three goal cushion early in the second half as Foden swept in his second of the night from close range. Sander Berge then put the ball into his own net in the fifty fourth minute to stretch City’s lead to 5 to 1.
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Fulham refused to fold. Alex Iwobi struck in the fifty seventh minute, finishing a well worked move that exposed City’s back line. Samuel Chukwueze then punished more loose defending, scoring in the seventy second minute and again six minutes later to bring the match within a single goal.
City faced further pressure deep in injury time when Josko Gvardiol cleared a Fulham effort off the line, allowing the champions to escape with all three points.
The result keeps City firmly in the title race as they continue to chase a fourth consecutive league crown. Fulham, meanwhile, look for defensive improvement after conceding five at home despite a spirited fightback.
