March 14, Craven Cottage:
Manchester city go 17 point above the top of the premier league.
It was another flawless performance from Manchester’s blue side as they beat bottom side Fulham at their own home in Craven Cottage. With this win, City now has a 17 point lead to the team in second.
Fulham is currently fighting for their survival in the league as they are in the 18th position with 26 points.
They can still survive as the gap between them and the team above are just 7 points.
The Drought Finally Ends:
After returning from injury, the Manchester City legendary striker Sergio Kun Aguero finally broke his goal drought after converting a penalty which gave his team a 3-0 lead and took them a step closer to the league title.
The Argentinian scored his last goal 14 months ago and was sidelined due to injury.
The visitors got the penalty as Ferran Torres was pushed by the ex-city player Tosin Adarabioyo.
Aguero stepped up to take the penalty, shot straight to the corner of the goal, and beat the Fulham loanee goalkeeper Alphonso Areola, who had dived the right way.
Strike Partnership of a Dream: The South American Partnership
Manchester City’s two strikers, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, have started together in 13 games and have a whopping 24 goals combined, among which Aguero has 15 whole Jesus has 9.
This is something that the City has missed over the past couple of months.
24 – In the 13 Premier League games in which both Sergio Agüero and Gabriel Jesus have started together, they have scored a combined 24 goals (9 for Jesus, 15 for Agüero). Dynamic. #FULMCI https://t.co/u3tRBuQndP
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 13, 2021
Has The Title Officially Gone to Manchester City?
With the win against Fulham, Manchester’s blue side is currently at the top of the Premier League table and has a 17 point lead against their opposition.
The current form of City is hard to beat. The last time they were on 22 games winning streak but were beaten by their closest rival, Manchester United.
However, they bounced back right after and have scored a total of 8 goals in their last two games and just conceded two goals. This shows that not only the front but their backline is solid as well.
Looking at the form of the teams below and the gap in the point between them, it can be seen that the Blue Heart of Manchester will be crowned as the new Premier League Champions within the next few weeks.
Can Fulham Survive The Relegation Battle?
The Premier League’s end is coming very soon, with just nine games remaining in this 20/21 season.
Fulham is currently fighting a tough relegation battle against teams like Newcastle United and Brighton, with only 3 points separating them.
There is a high chance for Fulham. Apart from the loss to Manchester City, their recent form of form has improved from the season’s start.
If they continue this form, they can surely book their place for another season in English Football’s top flight.
The Glorious History Between City and Fulham
Fulham and Manchester City met for the first time in 1908 during an F.A. Cup match which ended in a 1-1 draw.
They have played 53 games over the years and in which City has won 36, Fulham has won 17, and the remaining 16 games were tied.
The highest-scoring game happened in 1938 during a League Two match where Fulham came out on top with a 5-3 scoreline.
There has been a total of 6 games where one side has scored at least 5 goals against their opposition.
What Next For The Teams?
Manchester City will host German side Borussia Monchengladbach at home for the 2nd leg of their Round of 16 ties in the Champions League on the 17th of March, 2021.
Not just that, they will go against Everton in the quarter-finals of the F.A. Cup on 20th March 2021.
City will then travel to Wembley Stadium to face their London opponents in Tottenham Hotspur for the EFL Cup Final on the 25th of April, 2021.
Fulham isn’t in any other domestic or European competitions, so they look to divide their entire focus on surviving the relegation battle.
They will face the likes of Leeds United on the 20th of March, 2021. With Leeds’s form, there is hope for Fulham to walk away with a victory or even share a point that might help them in the future.
What Did The Managers Feel About The Game?
It was a fairly dominant game by Manchester City. While Fulham looked like they could score against their opponents, City’s rock-solid defense was at full force.
Fulham was hoping to increase the run of form they had when they beat defending champions Liverpool 1-0.
However, City’s powerful attack was easily able to counter Fulham’s defense and scored 3 past them.
Scott Parker, the manager of Fulham, was interviewed by BBC after the game, and he said, “Disappointing. It’s fair to say for large parts today- I asked the team to be brave and show courage against the team who will be champions – and we were. There’s no denying the mistakes we gave away for the goals were sloppy.”
Furthermore,
“Every game we go into, we want to get something out of it. Of course (Leeds United next) is a game we want to go into and get points from. We will keep moving.”
His counterpart, Pep Guardiola, was, however, interviewed by Sky Sports. He said, “In general, the game was really good in a tough, tough stadium. They came here, and they won in Anfield last week, and they create chances.
We knew it was important this week with three games in three different competitions. We started with one win. But eight games left in the Premier League, now we focus on the Champions League.”
