City beat Fulham for 20th time in a row to narrow gap at top

Manchester City’s week is moving along sweetly, this win closing the gap to three points to Arsenal, who travel to Brentford tonight.

- Jamie Jackson

Striker makes his mark with precision Erling Haaland drills home Manchester City's third first-half goal against Fulham

(PHIL NOBLE/REUTERS)

On Sunday, they beat Liverpool at Anfield, last night they downed Fulham at home, to reel off a 20th consecutive victory against them.

The rosiest moment for the title challengers was Erling Haaland’s 39th-minute strike, a first in the competition from open play in nine games, though Pep Guardiola will be concerned at how City still grasp for supreme control.

Haaland was removed at the break - maybe due to being hurt - so this is a concern, but a clean sheet plus scoring three times raises the goal difference to +30, two behind Arsenal. Who knows: the metric may prove the decider when the crowns handed out in May.

You had to go back to April 2009 for the last time Fulham defeated City when a Clint Dempsey double helped them to secure a 3-1 win here. Since then, the aggregate score was 53-21 to the home team - a terrible statistic for the visitors.

Guardiola, then, in saying nice things pregame about Marco Silva, could be read as patronising, though he has been in charge only since July 2021.