Manchester City managed to beat Fulham at the last minute on Saturday afternoon in their own Etihad Stadium. After a red card for João Cancelo in the first half, it seemed for a long time that trainer Pep Guardiola’s team would not go further than 1-1, but in injury time Erling Braut Haaland decided differently from the penalty spot: 2-1. City are now at the top of the Premier League for a while. On Sunday, Arsenal, who will visit Chelsea, can regain the lead.
Last Wednesday, when City beat Sevilla 3-1 in the Champions League, a number of big names started on the bench with Guardiola’s side. Against Fulham, however, regulars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Cancelo and Bernardo Silva were simply back in the starting lineup. Haaland started on the bench due to a minor injury, while Phil Foden also had to settle for a reserve role for the third Premier League game in a row. Furthermore, a Dutchman was in the starting line on both sides: Nathan Aké started in the center of the defense on behalf of City and Kenny Tete was in the right back position at Fulham.
????? Upside down competition! ?? Fulham equalize and City are one man less! The referee judges that João Cancelo pushes Harry Wilson in the back and draws the red card. Pereira seizes the opportunity. ?? https://t.co/v9bOHA2ZcK#ViaplaySportNL #ViaplayFootball pic.twitter.com/K1D98bMK1B
— Viaplay Sport Netherlands (@viaplaysportnl) Nov 5, 2022
As was to be expected, City started the game dominant. It got its first chance via De Bruyne (long shot that was saved by Fulham goalie Bernd Leno), and took the lead after seventeen minutes. Ilkay Gündogan sent striker Julián Álvarez deep, after which the Argentine hit hard and high. Shortly after a goal by John Stones was disallowed for a foul, the home side came out of nowhere with ten men. Cancelo was shown red for a foul on Harry Wilson, who had broken through, after which Andreas Pereira used the awarded penalty: 1-1.
The ten remaining Citizens after the break, do everything they can to still take the three points. At the start of the second company Aké was somewhat dangerous with a header, but Leno made a simple save. In the phase after that, Fulham managed to keep the defense pretty closed, leaving City with little real opportunity. Guardiola decided to bring Haaland on after more than an hour, and the Norwegian appeared to help City get a new lead ten minutes later. However, his goal was disallowed for offside. Fulham then seemed to get the point across the line, until Antonee Robinson conceded a penalty deep in stoppage time. Haaland remained cool from eleven meters, so that the three points still remained in Manchester.
?? Haaland returns and is once again worth gold!
Manchester City take three points against Fulham thanks to the used penalty from Haaland in injury time. This puts City at the top of the Premier League for now. Arsenal will be in action tomorrow.#ViaplaySportNL #ViaplayFootball pic.twitter.com/vWolQqDN6v
— Viaplay Sport Netherlands (@viaplaysportnl) Nov 5, 2022
| No. | Team | m | W | G | V | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 32 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 31 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 26 |
| 4 | Newcastle United | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 24 |
| 5 | Manchester United | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 23 |
| 6 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 21 |
| 7 | Chelsea | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 21 |
| 8 | Fulham | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 19 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| 10 | Brentford | 14 | 3 | 7 | 4 | -3 | 16 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | -3 | 16 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 15 |
| 13 | Everton | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | -1 | 14 |
| 14 | West Ham United | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | -2 | 14 |
| 15 | AFC Bournemouth | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -17 | 13 |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -9 | 12 |
| 17 | Southampton | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -9 | 12 |
| 18 | Leicester City | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | -4 | 11 |
| 19 | Wolverhampton W. | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | -14 | 10 |
| 20 | Nottingham Forest | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | -20 | 10 |