Man City Impresses Once Again, Eases Past Fulham at the Etihad
Manchester City put in an impressive display as they won 3-0 against Fulham at the Etihad to start with a bang following the international break.
The home side didn't take long to open the scoring, taking the lead after Jean Michael Seri sloppily gave the ball away in his own half, Fernandinho crossing for Leroy Sane to tap the ball home from close range.
City's second goal was a thing of beauty. Starting all the way from Ederson, the ball eventually found its way to Bernardo Silva whose deflected cross fell kindly for his namesake David - his right-footed shot bringing up his 50th goal for the club.
The second half began exactly like the first as the home side scored once again within 90 seconds of the game restarting - Raheem Sterling tapping in - and the home side were left to cruise to their fourth win of the campaign.
MANCHESTER CITY
Key Talking Point
Even without their talisman Kevin de Bruyne, the Citizens can still control games and play some scintillating football. Man of the match Bernardo Silva played in the Belgian's position against the Cottagers and the Portuguese star was simply majestic at times.
It will be a case of a group of players stepping up to the mark to fill the void left by De Bruyne, but on this showing, it seems as though that they are well equipped to do so.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Ederson (6), Walker (7), Laporte (7), Otamendi (7), Delph (8), Fernandinho (8), David Silva (8), Bernardo Silva (9*), Sane (7), Aguero (7), Sterling (7).
Substitutes: Muric, Stones, Gundogan (7), Mahrez (6), Jesus (6), Zinchenko, Foden.
STAR MAN - Bernardo Silva
The Portuguese star was like a kid in a playground. Everything that the midfielder touched turned to gold. Playing in the centre of midfield, Silva controlled the game and at times embarrassed some of the Fulham players with his sublime skill.
Last season was very much a campaign of understanding the league for the Portugal star, and this season it seems as though Silva has found his feet and is undoubtedly benefiting from the injury of De Bruyne as he takes centre stage in the heart of the City midfield.
WORST PLAYER
On a day were every City player was allowed space and time, there were no bad performances from any of the players.
The only criticism would be of Sterling, who should have scored in the first half, but saw his shot saved from close range by Marcus Bettinelli.
FULHAM
Key Talking Point
Much was expected of Fulham this season due to the style of play in the Championship last season, but after showing ability to play passing football in the opening few games of the season, they were naive against the champions.
The early goal should have been an alarm bell for the away side to change their game up and show the opposition a bit of respect, but they continued to try and play out from the back and were caught out on nearly every occasion.
Fulham will remain in the division this season, there is no doubt about that, but if it wants to finish in the top half they will need to learn from this humbling defeat.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Bettinelli (6), Christie (4), Odoi (5), Mawson (5), Sessegnon (5), Seri (4), McDonald (5), Johansen (5), Schurrle (5), Mitrovic (5), Vietto (5).
Substitutes: Chambers, Ayite (5), Le Marchand, Fosu-Mensah, Bryan, Anguissa (6), Ramirez.
STAR MAN - Marcus Bettinelli
The Englishman was by far Fulham's best player as he kept the scoreline somewhat respectable. In the first half especially he made some incredible saves, most notably from Sterling, whose shot was cleverly tipped around the post.
WORST PLAYER - Jean Michael Seri
At fault for the first goal, it was a bad day at the office for Seri. The ex-Nice star looked horribly of the pace from the first whistle. Playing on the right of a midfield trio, Seri was torn to shreds by David Silva and was taken off early on in the second half.
Impressive in his first few games of the season, Seri will learn from this experience and hopefully will come out the other side a better player.
Looking Ahead
The win for the home side means that they continue to pile the pressure on Liverpool who sits at the top of the league, two points ahead of the Citizens. Next up for City is a trip to Cardiff City and going off current form an easy win is expected for the Premier League champions.
As for Fulham, they face high-flying Watford on Saturday and with four points in five games the Cottagers will be hoping that they can make use of home advantage and grab a well-needed win.
