At Craven Cottage, Manchester City raced into a 5–1 lead thanks to a 17th-minute strike — the club great Erling Haaland’s 100th Premier League goal — followed by goals from Tijjani Reijnders, a brace by Phil Foden and an own goal, seemingly putting the game beyond doubt.
But the home side refused to lie down: Emile Smith Rowe pulled one back just before half-time, and in the second half, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze (twice) narrowed the gap to one, creating a nerve-shredding finale. Fulham came agonisingly close to an equaliser late on, only for a goal-line clearance by Joško Gvardiol to preserve City’s victory.