Mateo Kovacic’s brace helped Manchester City keep pace at the top of the Premier League in a nervy 3-2 win over Fulham at the Etihad Stadium.
The Cottagers looked sharp and went ahead through Andreas Pereira, but the Croatia international struck either side of half-time to turn the game on its head.
Rodrigo Muniz set up an anxious finish after Jeremy Doku had added a third for the hosts, but City eventually got over the line to stay a point behind leaders Liverpool going into the October international break.
Man City player ratings (4-1-4-1)
GK: Ederson – 7/10 – Was needed to make some smart saves from decent Fulham counter-attacks.
RB: Rico Lewis – 6/10 – Showed awesome technique throughout the game but was also guilty of losing possession too easily on a few too many occasions. Got an assist for Doku’s strike.
CB: Manuel Akanji – 6/10 – Caught out by Jimenez’s cute flick which allowed Pereira to strike. Otherwise performed well enough before his withdrawal.
CB: Ruben Dias – 6/10 – Misplaced few of his passes and coped decently in the face of Fulham’s pacy attackers.
LB: Josko Gvardiol – 7/10 – Distributed the ball well and rarely came out of a one-on-one duel on the losing side.
DM: Mateo Kovacic – 9/10 – The Croatian’s first was deflected and a little fortuitous, but his second was smartly taken and well deserved. Doesn’t offer the protection and safety Rodri does but few others in world football do.
RW: Bernardo Silva – 7/10 – Always used the ball smartly and might have had a goal on another day. Grabbed the assist for Kovacic’s second.
AM: Phil Foden – 6/10 – Buzzed around brightly and his cross eventually led to Kovacic putting City ahead.
AM: Ilkay Gundogan – 5/10 – Missed a few good opportunities that he created with his late runs into the box.
LW: Jack Grealish – 5/10 – Was always looking to probe and dribble, though his final end product was usually lacking.
ST: Erling Haaland – 5/10 – A more subdued afternoon for the big Norwegian than he might have expected. Couldn’t hit the back of the net and looked a little isolated at points.
Substitutes
SUB: Kyle Walker (62′ for Akanji) – 5/10
SUB: Jeremy Doku (62′ for Grealish) – 7/10 – Showed great feet to dart inside and fire in what turned out to be the winner.
SUB: John Stones (78′ for Foden) – N/A
SUB: Matheus Nunes (89′ for Gundogan) – N/A
Source – Man City 3-2 Fulham: Player ratings as Kovacic brace earns champions victory (90min.com)
