Guardiola pushes Grealish towards exit as City stroll into Champions League

With 20 minutes gone at Craven Cottage, and with Fulham yet to muster anything even the most creative observer could describe as an attack, Ilkay Gündogan scored a thrillingly explosive goal to draw any real sense of sting from this final-day stroll in the south-west London sun.

- Barney Ronay

Manchester City had spent the game to that point applying a fug of slow-burn possession. The goal came from a first note of urgency, Matheus Nunes surging down the right, found by a flick from Omar Marmoush.

Nunes crossed. The ball was deflected in a high, slow arc off the glove of Bernd Leno. At the back post Gündogan adjusted his feet, ran the numbers, corrected the descent vector a couple of times, then launched himself into a perfectly balanced, flying overhead volley, which clanged down into the Fulham goal off the underside of the crossbar.

With that, the afternoon eased into something more manageable for City. Fulham were peppy and keen, made chances, had shots blocked and really might have equalised before City made it 2-0 on 71 minutes, as the score would remain to the end.

This time the goal came from the penalty spot after Jérémy Doku had been tripped. Erling Haaland rolled the ball into the corner like the ice-cold big-note goal machine he is, apart from in FA Cup finals.