City go top as Arsenal visit United on Sunday

Manchester City went top of the Premier League on Saturday with a 4-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage. Pep Guardiola had said his team had to be perfect until the end of the season to pip Arsenal to the title, a historic fourth consecutive triumph.

Fulham players were reported flying kites at their training on Thursday, as many Arsenal fans feared the Cottagers were already on their summer break, and their fears were justified by the 4-0 thrashing that City handed out to them.

This was their second-biggest loss of the season. Their biggest loss was also to City last September, when they lost 5-1 at the Etihad.

Guardiola started the same 11, apart from Ruben Dias, who replaced Kyle Walker.

Defender Josko Gvardiol was the first name on the score sheet and the Croatian is proving to be a veritable source of goals at the tail end of the season. The left-back has scored four goals in his last five EPL matches.

In the 13th minute, Gvardiol exchanged passes with Kevin de Bruyne and skipped past Issa Diop to score with a well-placed right-footed shot.

Nathan Ake had to come off in the 22nd and Walker came on. Phil Foden’s weak effort dribbled over the line for City’s second in the 59th minute and Gvardiol grabbed his brace in the 71st minute when he got on the end of a floated lob from Bernardo Silva.

Substitute Julián Álvarez completed the scoring in the sixth minute of added time, scoring from the penalty spot.

Issa Diop’s second yellow card was for a lunge on Alvarez, and the Fulham man had to go. There ensued an interesting discussion as Gvradiol pleaded to be allowed to take it as he chased a hat-trick, but he was told he couldn’t. Compare this to the Chelsea drama in the same circumstances some weeks ago.

City enhanced their goals-for column and are now just three goals behind Arsenal but two points ahead as the Gunners travel to Old Trafford on Sunday, hoping to win and continue to put pressure on the Cityzens.