Foden, Gvardiol fire Manchester City above Arsenal to top of Premier League table after Fulham win

Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol contributed three of the goals. | Imago

Foden, Gvardiol fire Manchester City above Arsenal to top of Premier League table after Fulham win

Ayoola Kelechi 14:37 - 11.05.2024

The Cityzens have now moved into first place in the race for the Premier League title after a convincing win over Fulham

Manchester City raced to the top of the Premier League after a convincing 4-0 win away to Fulham to put the pressure back on Arsenal in the title race.

A brace for in-form Gvardiol and further goals from Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez saw the Cityzens continue their run of 21 games without defeat as they launch a bid for a fourth consecutive Premier League title.

How it happened

The game started with a tense opening ten minutes, but it was Manchester City who broke the deadlock with a display of exquisite passing. Joško Gvardiol capitalized on a sublime assist from Kevin De Bruyne to calmly slot the ball into the net, giving City the early lead.

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.ug/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

As the game progressed, Manchester City continued to dictate the tempo, and their persistence paid off when Phil Foden doubled their advantage. Foden showcased his predatory instincts, pouncing on a loose ball inside the penalty area following some stellar wing play from Bernardo Silva.

Despite their dominance, Erling Haaland squandered a golden opportunity to extend City's lead, missing a clear-cut chance from inside the box. However, Gvardiol ensured City's victory with his second goal of the game, expertly sliding in to meet a high ball from Silva with a VAR check confirming the goal.

With the game seemingly out of reach for Fulham, Argentine sensation Julian Alvarez sealed the deal for Manchester City with a coolly taken penalty in additional time, wrapping up a comprehensive 4-0 win for the Cityzens.

Related content