City Survive Fulham’s Furious Fightback in a Nine-Goal Thriller
Manchester City’s trip to Craven Cottage turned into one of those Premier League nights that felt unforgettable for everyone watching — and almost unbearable for Pep Guardiola himself. What finished as a 5–4 win for City had started as a comfortable stroll, and then suddenly transformed into a tense, chaotic scramble to the finish line that left even Guardiola admitting it was “impossible” to enjoy.
City had exploded into the match with full control, racing to a 5–1 lead by the 54th minute. At that point it genuinely looked like the champions were cruising. Erling Haaland set the tone early, scoring after 17 minutes and becoming the fastest player ever to reach 100 Premier League goals, hitting the milestone in just 111 matches. Guardiola later joked that if someone had predicted such numbers when Haaland arrived, he would have asked if they were sure — because even in this league, these statistics feel unreal.
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But then the energy inside Craven Cottage shifted. Fulham mounted a response that almost defied belief. In just 21 frantic minutes, three goals were scored by the home side, two of them coming from half-time substitute Samuel Chukwueze. The on-loan Nigerian attacker practically electrified the stadium, dragging Fulham back into the match and putting genuine pressure on a City side that had shown rare moments of panic.
Guardiola, pacing on the sideline, could only watch the scoreline tighten from 5–1 to 5–4. He later admitted that at that stage, he was staring at the clock instead of the action. For him, the defensive lapses were obvious — City had dropped too deep, failed to control the spaces, and allowed crosses to cause chaos. “All the goals were bad defending,” he said, acknowledging that while his team had produced “incredible things,” they had also nearly undone all of it.
Meanwhile, Fulham manager Marco Silva praised the character and determination of his players, calling the reaction “impressive,” even if the early performance left him frustrated. He felt his team had allowed the match to run away before they properly settled into it — and against a team like Manchester City, that’s always dangerous.
In the end, City survived the wild finish and moved within two points of league leaders Arsenal, but Guardiola made it clear: this was no celebration for him. It was a reminder of how quickly football can flip, how fragile control can be, and how even a four-goal lead isn’t safe in the Premier League.
A wild night, a historic goal, and a manager left shaking his head — this one had everything.
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