FULHAM 0, MANCHESTER CITY 2
Sergio Aguero has given Manchester City an injury scare after limping out of their 2-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The Argentine hitman had already scored City’s second goal in an exhilarating first half of sheer dominance from the Champions but was replaced by Gabriel Jesus after 57 minutes.
Embed from Getty ImagesQuadruple-chasing City had little else to worry about after an easy afternoon against a Fulham side who may soon be needing snookers to stay up.
City boss Pep Guardiola had already admitted that games immediately after international breaks were difficult in terms of momentum.
He made four changes from the side that beat Swansea City in the FA Cup before the International Break.
Oleksandr Zinchenko. Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, and Sergio Aguero replaced Fabian Delph, Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane, and Gabriel Jesus as Guardiola picked a near full strength side against second bottom Fulham.
John Stones and Fernandinho were fit enough to feature on the bench although Delph was injured.
In-form Bernardo Silva quickly proved his value to the team by scoring after just 5 minutes.
City brutally dismantled their hosts who were overly generous in giving the ball away in a haphazard defensive performance.
Aguero had already tested Sergio Rico after he had given the ball away trying to distribute it and was saved by Timothy Fosu-Mensah’s clearance.
The Argentine capitalised on more Fulham generosity, when Fosu-Mensah gave him the ball, by laying it off to Bernardo Silva who drilled it in from the edge of the D.
It was his third goal in as many games, and 11th of the season overall.
City were racking up the corners early on leading to tongue-in-cheek ole’s from the home crowd when they successfully strung any sequence of passes together.
Aguero got himself on the scoresheet when Bernardo Silva intercepted another lazy Fulham pass – by Joe Bryan this time – and returned the favour to his team mate in the 27th minute.
Aguero needed no second invite to net his 29th goal of the season – a delicate chip over Rico from an acute angle.
Ederson didn’t have a shot on target to save as Fulham failed to make any impression on the City goal.
The visitors went close through De Bruyne and Gundogan and Kyle Walker rattled the post with a shot but City seemed content to save their energy for bigger tests as they entered a crucial period of the season.
Aguero’s ‘injury’ was played down by Guardiola who described the decision to take him off as purely precautionary.