Manchester City narrowly survived a fierce and exciting fightback from Fulham to secure a remarkable nine-goal thriller that will be remembered for years to come.
Ready to dive into some football history? Under the iconic floodlights of this historic stadium, viewers were treated to an incredible spectacle. Erling Haaland shattered the 100-goal mark in the Premier League, setting a new record in process. Meanwhile, Phil Foden continued his impressive form by netting his second double in just four days. (For more details, check out this match report: The Guardian).
The match started with City racing into a commanding 5-1 lead before the hour mark. But Fulham mounted an astonishing comeback, coming agonizingly close to equalizing by the end. This incredible game ended up ranking as the seventh highest-scoring fixture in over three decades of the Premier League — quite the feat!
Throughout the match, momentum swung back and forth with moments of significance both big and small. City initially launched with great energy, appearing to have sealed the win with two brief periods of dominance before and after halftime. However, Fulham responded with resilience — they created more chances, had more possession, and took control from the moment Alex Iwobi calmly scored their second goal 12 minutes into the second half. Despite City having earned vital points in their pursuit of Arsenal (Premier League table), their defensive frailties couldn’t be fully hidden. Fulham, on the other hand, extended their losing streak against City to an astonishing 19 games, yet demonstrated that they are capable of competing with any top-tier team.
This game’s potential for greatness became evident early on. Just five minutes in, Haaland missed a straightforward one-on-one chance — played through by Foden. Haaland shot beyond the keeper, Bernd Leno, but watched helplessly as the ball blazed a post and skittered across the face of the goal. Was this ominous sign for the Norwegian star with 99 goals in the English top flight? Not at all — twelve minutes later, Haaland scored his landmark century, hammering the ball past Leno after Tijjani Reijnders cleverly dummy’ed a cross from Jérémy Doku.
Haaland’s celebration was understated but meaningful, arms raised in quiet triumph. His goal made him the fastest player ever to reach 100 Premier League goals, breaking records held by legends like Alan Shearer (124 games) and Harry Kane (141 games). Haaland achieved this milestone in just 111 games — a truly extraordinary feat.
The energized City supporters cheered loudly, chanting his name, as Haaland delivered again. With 37 minutes on the clock, Ruben Dias played a ball from midfield, and Haaland, dropping deep from his usual forward position, tricked Joachim Andersen with a quick spin. He then passed into the space ahead, allowing Reijnders to run onto it, lift the ball over Leno, and score City’s second goal.
City’s third goal came swiftly; Leno punched a corner he should have caught, and the ball fell kindly to Foden on the right side of the box. Foden, in fine goal-scoring touch after his recent performance against Leeds, stroked a composed shot into the bottom corner with his left foot. Yet the first half wasn’t over — Fulham managed to reduce the deficit with a beautiful header from Emile Smith Rowe, whose looping finish from Harry Wilson’s cross beat Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The break didn’t extinguish Fulham’s fighting spirit, which persisted into the second half. City extended their lead yet again when they scored their fourth early in the second period. Doku’s quick break, combined with a clever pass to Foden, resulted in Haaland assisting with a back-heel, and Foden calmly finishing. Just six minutes later, City’s fifth came after Doku won possession near the goal, with his shot deflecting off Sander Berge and past Leno.
You might have thought the game was over, but Fulham refused to surrender. Their resilience was highlighted when Iwobi scored a precise finish from just outside the box, capitalizing on City’s defensive lapse. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the stadium shifted, with supporters roaring their team on in a rare show of encouragement amidst the chaos.
Haaland struck the post again with a towering header, then substitute Samuel Chukwueze added to his early goals, scoring two quickfire finishes — the first from the edge of the box and the second after Donnarumma’s weak punch from a corner, which he confidently finished.
With eight minutes of added time announced by the assistant referee, tension mounted to almost unbearable levels. Fulham’s Josh King found space in the penalty area, took a shot, and seemed destined to score — but Josko Gvardiol cleared the ball at the last moment with his heels. The referee’s whistle soon followed, bringing an end to a match filled with drama, chaos, and relentless passion. What was meant to be an almost certain draw turned into a pulsating conclusion, leaving fans both exhausted and exhilarated as they filed out into the London night.
