Manchester City cruise past Fulham 3–0, close gap on Arsenal
City effectively sealed the contest before halftime, scoring all three goals in a commanding opening 45 minutes.
KATHMANDU: Manchester City delivered a dominant first-half performance to secure a crucial 3–0 victory over Fulham at the Etihad Stadium, cutting Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League table to just three points.
City effectively sealed the contest before halftime, scoring all three goals in a commanding opening 45 minutes.
The breakthrough came in the 24th minute when Ghanaian forward Antoine Semenyo found the back of the net.
Just six minutes later, Semenyo turned provider, setting up Nicolas O’Reilly to double City’s advantage.
Erling Haaland added the third in the 39th minute, ending his eight-match Premier League drought from open play.
The Norwegian striker’s goal further underlined City’s clinical display in the first half.
Manager Pep Guardiola opted to rest Haaland in the second half as City comfortably controlled proceedings.
Although the hosts did not add to their tally, Fulham rarely threatened and slumped to their third consecutive defeat.
The result leaves Fulham in 12th place in the standings.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Burnley edged Crystal Palace 3–2 in a thrilling encounter.
Aston Villa and Liverpool both secured narrow 1–0 victories over Brighton and Sunderland respectively, while Nottingham Forest and Wolves played out a goalless draw.
