Manchester City Made it 4-2 against Fulham !!!
Manchester City moved into second spot in the table with a thrilling 4-2 win over battling Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Manuel Pellegrini's men appeared to be coasting to victory after racing
into a 2-0 half-time lead thanks to goals from Yaya Toure and Vincent
Kompany, but Fulham battled back bravely in the second half to level
matters with Kieran Richardson's goal and Vincent Kompany's comedy own
goal.
However, City responded in style as substitutes Jesus Navas and James
Milner struck late on to save Kompany and City's blushes and maintain
their good run of form.
Fulham started brightly and they went close to breaking the deadlock on
12 minutes when Adel Taarabt capitalized on a slip from Gael Clichy and
drilled in a low left-footed shot which the returning Joe Hart did well
to keep out.
A minute later City were inches away from scoring when Edin Dzeko teed
up David Silva inside the box and he saw his shot come back off the
crossbar.
Taarabt, who was playing as Fulham's lone front man was looking lively,
and he had another sight of goal on 19 minutes, but his effort from the
edge of the box was straight down the throat of Hart.
City broke the deadlock on 23 minutes with a sublime free-kick from
set-piece specialist Toure. The big Ivorian brilliantly curled his
free-kick from the edge of the box in off the underside of the crossbar
past a stranded Maarten Stekelenburg after Steve Sidwell was adjudged to
have fouled Silva.
Dzeko wasted a great opening to double City's lead just past the half
hour mark when he saw his shot blocked inside the box when the unmarked
Fernandinho was probably the better option for a pass.
Taarabt continued to offer Fulham their best hope of getting back into
the contest and he fired in a shot which forced Hart to turn his effort
round the post.
Dzeko had a chances to score on 35 minutes when Aleksandar Kolarov
found him inside the box, but the striker's low shot was well saved by
Stekelenburg.
City doubled their advantage two minutes before the break when Vincent
Kompany reacted quickest to prod home from close-range after Martin
Demichelis saw his header kept out by Stekelenburg.
City looked to put the game beyond Fulham at the start of the second
half when Silva played in Kolarov down the left and then got on the end
of his cross in the box, but on the stretch he could not generate the
power on his shot to beat Stekelenburg.
Fulham reduced the arrears on 50 minutes when Taarabt beat Clichy down
the left with a powerful run and crossed for the unmarked Richardson to
sweep the ball home from close range.
The home side had their tails up and they fashioned a great chance to
draw level on 57 minutes when Ashkan Dejagah sent over a deep cross from
the right which Sidwell flung himself at to head wide when he would
have been better off leaving it for the unmarked Taarabt.
The game was becoming stretched and substitute Jesus Navas wasted a
great chance to score just past the hour mark when the ball broke to him
inside the box, but the winger dragged his shot well wide of the
target.
Fulham drew level on 68 minutes in the most bizarre of circumstances with a comical own goal from Kompany.
Sascha Riether got down the right from Scott Parker's pass and fired
over a cross which Kompany somehow sliced up into the air and over Hart
before nestling into the corner of the net.
City regained the lead 12 minutes from time when Silva sent Navas
racing clear and the winger drilled his shot under the legs of
Stekelenburg much to the relief of Kompany after his own goal.
The visitors made the game safe seven minutes from time when Alvaro
Negredo picked out substitute Milner with a brilliant pass with the
outside of his foot and the midfielder swept the ball past Stekelenburg
to give City all three points.
