LONDON — Manchester City went top of the Premier League for the first time since February with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Fulham on Sunday.
Erling Haaland scored his 50th goal of the season in converting a third-minute penalty as the visitors established control early on, only for Carlos Vinicius to equalise against the run of play with a quarter of an hour played. Julian Alvarez re-established City’s lead on 34 minutes when firing a superb dipping drive over goalkeeper Bernd Leno from 25 yards but Fulham kept fighting in a competitive second half.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
The home side thought they should have had a penalty midway through the second period when Kyle Walker challenged Bobby De Cordova-Reid in the box but referee Simon Hooper was unmoved.
City hung on for a precious victory which takes them to 76 points, one ahead of Arsenal and still with a game in hand.
Rapid reaction
1. City finally move above Arsenal
The momentum has been with Pep Guardiola’s side for some time and now the Premier League table proves it. City are top of the league for the first time since beating Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Feb. 15. The psychological impact of that could be profound, especially coming in the same week when the Gunners were well beaten in the reverse fixture.
The defending champions weren’t at their best at Craven Cottage. In fact, Fulham may feel they should have earned a point in a battling second-half display as Guardiola’s side struggled to control the game in their customary style.
Yet Ederson was not forced into any meaningful saves and their defence held firm to earn a victory which extends their recent record to 13 wins from their last 14 matches across all competitions — the only blemish was a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich in a Champions League quarterfinal they were already winning 3-0 from the first leg.
They have clicked into gear at precisely the right time and look extremely difficult to catch in the home stretch.
2. Haaland’s half-century
As City go through the gears in the title race, Haaland continues to surpass individual milestones in what is rapidly becoming one of the most remarkable debut seasons in English football history. There are plenty of stats to choose from, but everyone will have a favourite.
Haaland’s third-minute penalty was his 50th goal of the season, the first player to reach that mark in a single season at an English club since 1931. The half-century is comprised of one EFL Cup goal, three FA Cup goals, 12 Champions League goals and 34 in the Premier League — the most in a 38-game season. Haaland is now tied with Andy Cole (1993-94) and Alan Shearer (1994-95) for the most goals in any Premier League season and it is simply a matter of time before he breaks that record.
It seems almost perverse to suggest this, but Haaland hasn’t even been that efficient of late. He missed a series of glorious chances against Arsenal and could have scored more on Sunday, admittedly in part denied by some fine goalkeeping by Leno. But that is a minor criticism.
Haaland is the most feared forward in the land for a reason; the banner held up in the away end, “Feed the Yorkshire Viking and he will score” is hard to argue with. Dixie Dean’s all-time 63-goal haul is not an impossibility with a maximum of 10 more games to play this season.
