Man City started the match strong. Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the 17th minute, striking Jeremy Doku’s low hit cross cleverly left by Tijjani Reijnders, into the back of the net. This goal marked the Norwegian’s 100 in the Premier League, fastest to the landmark in just 111 games.
**Haaland**was not yet done contributing as he then assisted Reijnders, who lobbed Bernd Leno to double **City**’s lead. **Phil Foden**’s brace, with goals on either side of the halves, was split by a Emile Smith Rowe header assisted by Harry Wilson.
**Doku**won possession off Joachim Andersen on the edge of the penalty area and with the help of a Sander Berge deflection, put it in the right side of the goal over Leno.
The score being 1-5 in the 54th minute, took a turn most would have not expected. Alex Iwobi fired in a low screamer from outside of the box, followed by two half volleys by Samuel Chukwueze that found back of the net.
**Fulham**had scored three goals in 21 minutes to turn the game on its head. The scoreline now 4-5, The Cottagers had the momentum with Cavern Cottage buzzing, while **City**were barely hanging on to the three points. A late Josko Gvardiol goal line clearance, in the added time, saved **City**from sharing the points.
A 5–4 escape was the final verdict, but the real substance comes from what this chaotic win teaches us about **City**right now.
Alan Shearer, regarded as one the best **Premier League**’s most prolific striker with most goals scored in the league: 260, once held record for the fastest to 100, reaching the landmark in 126 games. Erling Haaland has now shattered that benchmark, hitting his century in just 111 appearances and adding yet another absurd achievement to his growing list.
The Norwegian was visibly unhappy after the Leeds game, involved in a pointed post-match discussion with the manager Pep Guardiola. **Haaland**had barely impacted the game, a rarity for a striker who measures his performances by goals and expects to influence every match he steps into.
It was all smiles after the **Fulham**win, with **Haaland**not only reaching his 100th Premier League goal but also setting up Reijnders, an assist for a teammate who had been struggling to find the net.
He was fed far more consistently throughout the game as well, receiving the kind of service that lets him live in his natural habitat: the penalty box.
Phil Foden’s back-to-back brace
Phil Foden endured a stop–start campaign last season, disrupted by injuries and personal setbacks, but he is now starting to look like the player City always believed he would be. He is influencing games with real purpose, scoring when needed, and bringing a calm, composed presence on the ball even in high-pressure moments.
**City**have looked much better whenever **Foden**is in the starting lineup. The versatility he has shown throughout his **City**career, playing left-wing, right-wing, number 10, or even as a false nine, reflects the mature player he has become. This season, he started deeper as a playmaker rather than the box-attacking version of **Foden**we have seen in the past.
In the last two games, though, he was used as a right-winger with the freedom to drift inside, using his technical ability to relieve pressure and make things happen. He responded with back-to-back braces, both crucial, as **City**won each match by just a single goal.
After all the noise about City being overly dependent on **Haaland**’s scoring, that narrative finally seems to be fading. A handful of others have stepped up, spreading the goals around and easing the pressure on the Norwegian.
Across **City**’s last six games, they have scored 16 times and only three of those goals came from Haaland. **Foden**delivered six, while the remaining seven were shared among the rest of the squad. It’s the clearest sign yet that City are finding different routes to goal.
City are still growing into the season, with **Guardiola**experimenting tactically from game to game, and it always felt inevitable that they would eventually find a way to spread the goals across the squad.
Recurring defensive collapse?
The summer signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma, one of the world’s top shot-stoppers, was meant to reduce the number of goals City concede each season. Instead, it looks like the Italian is still searching for his footing between the sticks. City have managed just two clean sheets in their last nine games.
They have been far more attacking and fluid this season, with the forwards given freedom to rotate positions when they push forward. The downside is a weakened out-of-possession structure in the first few seconds of defensive transition. That vulnerability has led to goals conceded from quick breaks or long-range efforts with little pressure on the shooter, exactly what we saw against **Fulham**for **Iwobi**’s strike and **Chukwueze**’s first goal.
**Guardiola**now has a major task on his hands: tightening a defence that’s conceding far too easily.