Josko Gvardiol doubles up to sink Fulham and send Manchester City top
Pep Guardiola had feared seeing Manchester City’s title defence kicked into the long grass at Craven Cottage but they cut yet another opponent down to size. Fulham were keen enough to make a game of things and it was no reflection on them that barely anybody has any answers when the champions take a stranglehold on proceedings like this. Only Arsenal have a chance of responding and, if a mercurial Manchester United find it in themselves to perform a neighbourly favour on Sunday, the pursuers will probably be silenced too. Two wins in the next week will see City over the line regardless of events at Old Trafford.
When the dust has settled on this season Arsenal may rue their New Year’s Eve no-show at this venue. The stakes were more obvious for City here but they never looked like fluffing their lines. Erling Haaland was off beam but the left-back Josko Gvardiol, who has produced five goals in his last seven games, simply took over instead. Gvardiol began this procession and also put City three up, Phil Foden sweeping in their second at a time when Fulham were threatening to make things vaguely awkward. Julián Álvarez finished things with a stoppage-time penalty and they were able to pop the ball around on a well-watered pitch that bore little resemblance to the kind of dry, raggedly cut surface their manager had expected to encounter in west London.
