LONDON (REUTERS) - Top-class goals from Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero took Manchester City back to the top of the Premier League in a 2-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday (March 30).
City's seventh successive league victory keeps alive their hopes an unprecedented quadruple of League Cup, Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies this season.
A wayward ball from Fulham's Timothy Fosu-Mensah gifted the visitors the lead in the fifth minute.
Sergio Aguero intercepted the Dutchman's pass just outside the area and passed to Silva, who cut across past two defenders and drove his left-footed shot into the corner past the diving Sergio Rico in goal.
City manager Pep Guardiola told reporters that Silva was playing so well he had made himself a fixture in the lineup.
"The way he is playing, I cannot do anything else but put him on the pitch," he said.
Fulham, who were missing top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic after the international break, kept five men in the back line in a bid to keep City's attack at bay, leading to one-way traffic. In the end, the Cottagers were unable to register a single shot on target all game.
Â
The home side's captain Tom Cairney won a freekick on the corner of the box in a rare break forward in the first half that had the home fans clapping and stamping their feet to rattle the century-old Johnny Haynes Stand.
However, Joe Bryan's cross was a whisker too high for Ryan Babel to head cleanly, and the ball went wide.
City's Silva turned provider in the 27th minute, pouncing onto a loose ball and passing to Aguero, who sprang forward past three defenders and shot from a tight angle up into the opposite corner for his league-leading 19th goal of the season.
Caretaker manager Scott Parker's Fulham have now failed to record a win in 14 games against City in all competitions and have lost the last eight in a row.
The result takes City back to the top of the Premier League on 77 points, one ahead of Liverpool who host Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
"Now it's the last part of the season, seven games left. It's easy: Every game we play we have to win if we want to be champions," Guardiola said.
For Fulham, the outlook is bleak. They remain in 19th place on 17 points, and will now most likely need to win every one of their remaining six matches to have a chance of avoiding relegation.
"We understand the predicament. The main focus now is we push and we end the season on a positive after a difficult campaign," Fulham boss Parker told reporters.
"We have another game on Tuesday and we have to do better. We have six games left and mathematically we're still in it," defender Cyrus Christie said.
Football: Qatar thrash UAE amid shoe barrage to reach Asian
Premier League Clubs 'Strongly Opposed' to Proposed UEFA Champions League & Europa League Changes The Premier League has released a statement in which they state unanimous opposition to proposed changes to the structure of both the Champions League and Europa League.
Champions League: Premier League reacts as UEFA makes changes
Gattuso has made many mistakes but let's not forget the squad he has.Milan failed to address their biggest problem which was the absence of a top left winger to take pressure of Suso.They even
Revived Dutch ready for 'big things', Football News & Top
Australia's women footballers to earn same base pay as men in win for gender equality Under a new collective bargaining agreement unveiled on the eve of the Women's World Cup in France, the base annual pay for players in the W-League was hiked 33 percent to Aus$16,344 (US$11,393).
Australian female footballers to earn same base pay as men
Forward Sandro Wagner has left Bayern Munich to join Chinese Super League side Tianjin Teda, the Bundesliga club have announced. The 31-year-old joined Bayern from Hoffenheim in a €13m (£11m
Bayern Munich striker Sandro Wagner leaves for China's
i'm saying from the players to the commissioner, the nfl, ever since last season, i'm a football fanatic, i love this game, most aricans do, it is part of our dna, it is really too bad that the nfl has infected the game with so much protest and so much political unnecessary political injections and unfortunately they're doing it again here. >> so, charles, i'm going to go out on a limb and say
Cam Newton Crying About Unfair Treatment From Nfl Officials
Nathan Ake strikes late to help Bournemouth sink nine-man Tottenham. Premier League. May 5, 2019 8:04am MORE FOOTBALL NEWS.
Ake strikes late to sink nine-man Spurs
City inflict more pain on Man Utd to go back top. On Apr 25, 2019 8,193 5. cardiff city manchester united. Nightmare season finally over for United . english premier league Manchester City.
Man City inflict more pain on Man Utd to go back top - Daily
His performance warns Manchester City that Spurs can cope without Harry Kane and Dele Alli Lucas Moura scored a superb hat-trick as Tottenham trounced Huddersfield 4-0 The match came between
Sanchez: Spurs squad can cope without Kane and Alli
FC Barcelona were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at Olympique Lyonnais in their UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg tie on Tuesday. The result ensured both sides remained unbeaten in this season's competition.
Champions League: Toothless Barcelona held to goalless draw
Manchester United have sacked Jose Mourinho with immediate effect. The club will appoint an external caretaker manager in the next 48 hours, before appointing a new full-time manager next summer. "Manchester United announces that manager Jose Mourinho has left the club with immediate effect," a club statement read.
EPL, news: Manchester United sack Jose Mourinho, $700 million
Monaco coach Thierry Henry. (Reuters pic) PARIS: Thierry Henry was suspended by Monaco on Thursday and looked set to lose his job as coach after only three months in charge at the Ligue 1 club.
Ligue 1: Thierry Henry starts dream job at Monaco | Sports
DAKAR • Egypt striker Mohamed Salah was named the African Footballer of the Year for the second straight year at the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) awards ceremony in Dakar on Tuesday..
Egypt's Salah retains African Footballer of the Year Award
Olivier Giroud speaks to BT Sport's Paul Dempsey after scoring a hat-trick in Chelsea's 5-0 Europa League win against Dynamo Kiev. Hat-trick hero Giroud revels in Europa League form | BT Sport
Giroud hat-trick helps Chelsea ease into Europa League
0 comments:
Post a Comment