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EPL: Manchester City beat Fulham 4-0 to go top of the table, SEE other results

Josko Gvardiol racks up fifth goal in seven games with Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez also on target as Man City rack up comfortable 4-0 victory at Fulham. City could win title on Tuesday night if Arsenal fail to win at Man Utd on Sunday.
Manchester City move closer to a fourth successive Premier League title as they moved two points clear on top of the table with an emphatic 4-0 win at Fulham.

Two wins will be enough to guarantee City a fourth title in as many years but they could wrap up the league as soon as Tuesday at Tottenham if Arsenal fail to win at Manchester United on Sunday.


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City moved top of the division for the first time in almost a month and within touching distance of making further history as they made light work of Fulham in the capital.

Team news

Bobby De-Cordova Reid was the only change to Fulham's team from their 0-0 draw at Brentford, replacing the injured Sasa Lukic.

Ruben Dias replaced Kyle Walker for Man City, while Jack Grealish was absent with illness.

Marco Silva had seen enough and withdrew Willian and Bobby De Cardova-Reid for Tom Cairney and Adama Traore, though it did little to turn the tide in their favour.

Player ratings

Fulham: Leno (5), Castagne (5), Diop (4), Bassey (4), Robinson (6), Palhinha (6), Iwobi (6), De Cordova-Reid (5), Pereira (5), Willian (5), Muniz (5).

Subs: Traore (6), Cairney (5), Broja (5), Wilson (5).

Man City: Ederson (6), Ake (6), Akanji (7), Dias (7), Gvardiol (9), Kovacic (8), Rodri (7), Silva (7), De Bruyne (8), Foden (7), Haaland (6).

Subs: Walker (7), Doku (6), Lewis, Alvarez, Bobb.

Player of the match: Josko Gvardiol.


Manchester City have a history of rising above title-race pressure but they were second to the ball in the opening stages at Craven Cottage, with Antonee Robinson and Andreas Pereira's pace on the break looking dangerous.

Match stats

But once a number of early home corners and balls flashed through the box came to nothing, it did not take long for normal service to be resumed.

A long patient passing move clicked into gear as Gvardiol and De Bruyne exchanged passes on the left, with the former's drop of the shoulder taking him past Issa Diop before slotting inside the near post.

The Croatian defender had not scored in his first 22 Premier League games since joining last summer, but this was his third in four games - and he wasn't done there.

There was a familiar inevitability about how the rest of the first half would unfold, with City enjoying completely possessional dominance and only Fulham's last line of defence denying them another.

Diop twice stood strong to deflect away De Bruyne efforts, though Manuel Akanji had no excuse for blazing over from four yards from the talisman's corner.

Traore showed his typical flashes of raw promise but produced only one moment of quality, when his low cross was backheeled into Ederson by Rodrigo Muniz 12 minutes into the second period in their first shot of the day.

Any hope of sparking an upturn in fortunes soon dissolved when Foden struck City's second from distance after Joao Palhinha had tackled Bernardo Silva on the edge of the box.

Pep Guardiola even afforded himself a smile at that, but there was still a mild feeling of trepidation in the away end.

That soon changed when Gvardiol added his second of the day on the slide from a De Bruyne cross, with the visiting supporters breaking out the Poznan as they sensed their grip on the title tightening.

Fulham, impressive at home so often this season, had barely laid a glove on their visitors this time around but things still had time to get worse, when Diop was shown a second yellow for a rash challenge in his own box on Alvarez late on.

The Argentine got to his feet to beat Leno from 12 yards and lessen City's goal difference deficit behind Arsenal to two - with every goal vital with such fine margins separating the two in the final eight days of the season.

What's next?

The Premier League's final day will take place on Sunday May 19 with all games kicking off at 4pm. Man City host West Ham, while Fulham take on Luton.

Tottenham Hotspur vs
Manchester City
Tuesday 14th May 7:00pmKick off 8:00p

Before that, City head to Tottenham on Tuesday May 14 - live on Sky Sports; kick-off 8pm.


SEE OTHER RESULTS
EPL: Manchester City beat Fulham 4-0 to go top of the table, SEE other results





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