Manchester City entertained Fulham at the Etihad Stadium earlier today as they hoped to secure a victory and book a spot in the next round of the FA Cup. The Mancunian giants made a poor start to the game and shipped in the opening goal in the fourth minute when Fabio Carvalho found the back of the net.
However, Ilkay Gundogan equalised for the home team just two minutes later when he scored with a good finish. John Stones completed the turnaround with a solid header in the 13th minute as Man City cruised to a 2-1 lead at half-time.
Riyad Mahrez made the result secure when he converted his penalty in the 53rd minute before going on to score again just four minutes later with a right-footed finish. The contest ended with Pep Guardiola’s men securing an emphatic 4-1 win at home.
Let’s take a look at how each Man City player performed during the match against Fulham.
GK: Zach Steffen – 6.5/10
Steffen made a couple of decent saves but will be disappointed for conceding such an early goal.
RB: Kyle Walker – 6.5/10
The English talent did his fair share of defending but failed to influence the game in the Fulham half.
CB: John Stones – 8/10
He dealt with mostly everything that came his way after conceding an early goal. Stones even got his name on the scoresheet which gave Man City the all-important lead in the 13th minute.
CB: Nathan Ake – 6/10
Ake produced an unimpressive display on the defensive end of the field but was accurate with his passing.
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LB: Joao Cancelo – 7/10
He performed his defensive duties well and had a couple of bright moments in the final third. Cancelo got replaced in the 66th minute.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – 8/10
The Belgian international orchestrated several inviting chances for others around him and has got two assists to show for his efforts.
CM: Fernandinho – 7/10
He made two good chances in the final third and got stuck in with a couple of tackles to make life difficult for the opposition at the centre of the park.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 7.5/10
Gundogan caused a few problems for the Fulham defenders and was responsible for scoring his team’s equaliser in the sixth minute.
RW: Riyad Mahrez – 8.5/10
Mahrez was a constant menace in the final third and scored two quick-fire goals to put the tie to bed in the second 45 minutes.
ST: Jack Grealish – 8.5/10
The ex-Aston Villa talent did everything but score today. His creativity and dribbling was a joy to watch in the attacking end of the field.
LW: Phil Foden – 7.5/10
Foden had plenty of lively moments in front of the opposition goal but there was no goal for him today.
Substitutes:
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6/10
He offered very little after coming off the bench.
LW: Raheem Sterling – 6/10
The England international had a couple of promising moments in the final third.
ST: Liam Delap – 6.5/10
He made two good runs with the ball.
RW: Bernardo Silva – 6/10
Silva made one key chance after coming on in the 77th minute.
CM: James McAtee – 6/10
He made one energetic run with the ball.
