Erling Haaland came on off the bench to score the winner and help Man City produce one of the narrow football results of the weekend in the Premier League. After Kevin De Bruyne was fouled by Antonee Robinson in stoppage time, Haaland maintained his calm to score his 18th league goal of the year, preventing Fulham from earning an unexpected draw. After sustained pressure, Julian Alvarez put the home team ahead on minute 17, but referee Darren England’s decision to dismiss Joao Cancelo and give Fulham a penalty changed the course of the match. Andreas Pereira converted the penalty kick (28) to tie the score for the visitors, but Haaland, who had previously been disappointed by a questionable VAR decision, gave City the advantage again by converting his penalty underneath Bernd Leno with essentially the game’s final kick.
Pep Guardiola’s 10-match winning streak in all competitions is still standing, and the champions’ winning mentality was reinforced by the unrestrained excitement that followed the final whistle as the Catalan hugged Alvarez and Jack Grealish on the field. With 12 victories, including their last 10 in the league, City is now unbeaten against Fulham in their previous 15 matches in the Premier League, although they could not have left victory No. 10 any later. Haaland was back in the lineup but on the bench, giving Alvarez a chance to make an impression right away, but De Bruyne really had the first opportunity, as Leno turned away his ferocious 25-yard drive after just 10 minutes.
For a late challenge on Rodri early on, Pereira had been relatively unlucky not to have been sent out, but City quickly took the lead. Ilkay Gundogan received the pass from Rodri in an open area, and after getting past the Fulham defenders, Alvarez maintained his calm to fire a right-footed shot that sailed under the crossbar. However, City was unstoppable; after Robinson dangled a leg at De Bruyne, England emerged as the improbable hero of the Etihad, and Haaland took care of the rest.
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