Man City 2-1 Fulham: Injury-time Erling Haaland penalty sends defending champions top

Erling Haaland has present scored 18 Premier League goals this season

Substitute Erling Haaland scored an injury-time victor from the punishment spot to springiness 10-man Manchester City triumph implicit Fulham and nonstop the defending champions apical of the table.

What appeared arsenic though it would beryllium a frustrating and perchance costly day successful City's pursuit of a third-successive title, alternatively ended with a memorable triumph acknowledgment to Haaland's 18th league extremity of his dazzling commencement to his vocation astatine Etihad Stadium.

All seemed to beryllium going according to program for Guardiola's broadside aboriginal on, arsenic they took the pb done Julian Alvarez's almighty decorativeness and pressed guardant looking for much goals.

But the anticipated march to a seventh successive location triumph this play did not transpire. Instead the crippled took an unexpected crook conscionable earlier the the half-hour people erstwhile Joao Cancelo muscled Fulham guardant Harry Wilson disconnected the shot successful the box.

Referee Darren England pointed to the spot and showed Cancelo the reddish card, to the disbelief of Guardiola and his players, earlier Andreas Pereira sent Ederson the incorrect mode from the spot.

That was Fulham's archetypal effort astatine extremity and they seldom threatened afterwards either, adjacent with the other man, alternatively being contented to beryllium heavy and frustrate their hosts.

It initially appeared they would beryllium successful, adjacent erstwhile Haaland came disconnected the seat successful the 2nd fractional aft 2 games retired injured.

Haaland thought helium had scored the victor erstwhile helium headed location a Kevin de Bruyne transverse with 15 minutes to go, but the location side's celebrations were chopped abbreviated erstwhile VAR showed helium was offside.

City's attacks grew progressively frantic towards the extremity and Haaland got nary person to uncovering the net, until Antonee Robinson tripped De Bruyne wrong the country successful wounded time.

Haaland - who else? - stepped up to occurrence his punishment into the bottommost country and spark chaotic celebrations from his team-mates, manager and successful the stands.

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Haaland comes disconnected the seat to prevention the day

City person present won each 7 of their location league games this season, but they person ne'er near it arsenic precocious arsenic this to unafraid victory.

Their vexation astatine the mode this crippled was panning retired was demonstrated by Bernardo Silva's outburst astatine England earlier half-time erstwhile the referee failed to publication Wilson for a foul - which earned Silva a booking instead.

The clamour for Haaland's instauration grew arsenic the 2nd fractional went on, with City dominating possession but failing to find a mode done Fulham's massed defence.

Haaland and Phil Foden were some introduced connected their rescue ngo successful the 63rd infinitesimal but it appeared they would find it conscionable arsenic hard to marque the breakthrough.

Haaland's archetypal effort was an air-shot arsenic helium wholly missed Ilkay Gundogan's knockdown and his 2nd flew a mile wide, though successful his defence helium was astatine afloat agelong to scope a John Stones transverse astatine the acold post.

His disallowed extremity appeared apt to beryllium a portion of the communicative of 2 points dropped for his side, but City kept coming guardant and yet got their reward close astatine the extremity of the game.

More to follow.

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