BY OUR MAN AT THE ETIHAD
MANCHESTER CITY proved there is no such thing as a “title race hangover” as they dismantled Fulham 3-0 in a rain-lashed masterclass that leaves Arsenal sweating at the summit.
On a night where the Etihad sky was as bleak as Fulham’s defending, Erling Haaland and January sensation Antoine Semenyo stole the show, ensuring the Premier League trophy remains very much in Pep Guardiola’s crosshairs.
STARRY, STARRY NIGHT
The headlines belonged to Erling Haaland, who notched his 153rd goal for the club—moving him level with the legendary Colin Bell. But while the “Viking” claimed the history books, it was Antoine Semenyo who broke the deadlock and the Cottagers’ spirit.
Semenyo, the £70m January recruit from Bournemouth, is quickly becoming Pep’s new favorite toy.
He was in the right place at the right time in the 24th minute, pouncing on a botched Sander Berge header to poke home his fifth goal in just eight games.
The Ghanaian didn’t stop there. Six minutes later, he turned architect, sliding a delicious through-ball into the path of Nico O’Reilly. The 20-year-old academy graduate, playing with the poise of a seasoned vet, dinked a sublime finish over Bernd Leno to make it two.
Then came the moment the Etihad had been waiting for. Just before the interval, Phil Foden—back to his telepathic best—found Haaland on the edge of the area.
The big man didn’t need an invitation, drilling a low snapshot into the corner to wrap up the points before the halftime oranges were even sliced.
Haaland was withdrawn at the break, a “common sense” move by Guardiola with the game won and his superstar nursing a slight knock, but the damage was done.
Fulham, led by a frustrated Marco Silva, offered little in the way of a fightback. Even when the “Man of the Match” O’Reilly tired in the second half, City’s defensive duo of Marc Guehi and Ruben Dias remained an impenetrable wall.
The win cuts Arsenal’s lead to just three points.
The Gunners travel to Brentford tomorrow knowing that the Blue Machine is no longer just in their rearview mirror—they are side-by-side.
MAN CITY (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma 7; Nunes 6.5 (Khusanov 6), Dias 7, Guehi 9, Ait-Nouri 7.5; Rodri 7.5 (Cherki 6), Bernardo 7.5 (Reijnders 6); O’Reilly 8.5, SEMENYO 9, Foden 8 (Gonzalez 6); Haaland 8 (Marmoush 6).
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno 5; Tete 5, Andersen 6, Bassey 5, Sessegnon 5; Berge 4 (Reed 6), Iwobi 5; Wilson 6 (Bobb 5), Smith Rowe 4 (Muniz 6), Chukwueze 5 (King 6); Jimenez 5 (Kevin 6).