Fulham v Manchester City: Premier League – live

Premier League updates from the 2pm BST kick-off

Results from elsewhere in the league:

• Bournemouth 4-1 Leeds
• Man United 1-0 Aston Villa
• Newcastle 3-1 Southampton

After leading at St James Park, another loss for the Saints means they’re rooted at the bottom of the table now six points from safety.

Newcastle keep hold of third though Man United, two points behind, have a game in hand.

Bournemouth move up to 13 with 39 points while Leeds troubles continue after a torrid run of seven games without a win. They’re 16th with 30 points, level with Nottingham Forrest just above the relegation zone.

Bournemouth move up to 13 with 39 points while Leeds troubles continue after a torrid run of seven games without a win. They’re 16th with 30 points, level with Nottingham F

Full-Time: Fulham 1-2 Manchester City

City are top of the table. It wasn’t a classic but it was enough thanks to Haaland’s 50th and Alvarez’s worldie. Eight wins on the bounce, they’ll spend only their 15th night of the campaign ahead of the rest of the pack.

Fair play to Fulham. They never went away and chased an equaliser. It wasn’t to be and in truth, it might have been a more painful day were it not for Leno’s heroics.

More reaction to come.

90+8 min:Walker is booked now for time wasting. City not exactly romping to victory.

90+7 min:Grealish is lucky not to see another yellow for applauding the referee after winning a free kick.

90+5 min:Grelish and Tete are at it again. It’s a Fulham free kick after the former grabbed the latter as they both fell to the ground.

92 min:Vinicius does so well after coming deep to collect the ball. He holds it up and spots Solomon on the run down the left. But the pass to the flying Israeli is poor and goes straight out for a throw. That looked promising for a moment.

90 min:Eight added minutes as a consequence of the Pereira injury.

89 min: Cairney with another superb take before shovelling it on to maintain the attack. Wonder why he wasn’t considered a starter.

Meanwhile Bournemouth have a fourth. That’s another chastening away day for Leeds.

88 min:City aren’t exactly holding on here, but they’ll be yearning for the final whistle. When they win the ball in their own half they’re hacking it up field rather than playing it out from the back.

83 min:Haaland wins a free kick after holding the ball up and inviting contact from Diop. It’s in a handy spot on the right to chuck it in the mixer. Grealish does just that but no one in red and black can get on the end of it.

82 min: A double change for City.

• Mahrez makes way for Foden.
• Alvarez (who must be knackered after running himself into the ground) is replaced by Silva.

81 min:City no longer pressing with the same zeal. Cairney controls with a delightful turn to spring another attack. He’s been brilliant since coming on.

A Walcott own goal and another from Wilson has Newcastle 3-1 up over Southampton with seven minutes to play.

79 min:Fulham are playing with more width. They’ve got plenty of outlets and have managed to stretch City’s press. They’re bossing possession. Solomon slips in Wilson down the left who crosses but City clear.

76 min:A triple change forFulham.

• Wilson for Solomon
• De Cordova-Reid for James
• Reed for Lukic

They’re going for this!

73 min:Curious to see what Guardiolo does here. He’s got two goal keepers on the bench. Silva and Foden his two attacking options with Phillips a possible assurance for the midfield.

72 min:Haaland gets his head on the second ball after Akanji keeps it alive at the near post from a deep free kick, but Leno is dominant and comes away with it.

70 min:I’m so impressed withFulham They’re giving City no respect. And nor should they on their own patch. Tete flies into another challenge and wins the ball.

69 min:This game has exploded. Tete’s challenge on Grealish has the City winger all riled up. The pair push and shove before their teammates separate them. Simon Hooper shows them both yellow and calls for calm.

Silly from Grealish. He was taken out but then ran back into Tete to leave a mark of his own. Didn’t have to get involved.

63 min:Cairney has had an impact off the bench. He’s in a pocket of space in midfield. He can’t connect with a teammate but that’s a promising bit of play.

Joe Pearson has just informed me that Napoli have taken the lead. that’ll be the Italian title wrapped up then.

Bournemouth have a 3-1 lead over Leeds with Solanke scoring.

54 min:They’re bringing a stretcher our. Akanji is fine so it’s Pareira who doesn’t look like he’ll continue.

53 min:Alvarez has exploded in this half. He’s there agin, inside the area on the right. Wriggling and dancing over the ball. He chips a cross towards the back post but can’t find a buddy. Adarabioyo reaches to head away before Haaland can intervene. A 50/50 ball sucks in Akanji and a Fulham player (need to confirm but I think it’s Wilson) and both men are on the floor getting treatment.

49 min:Gundogan wins a battle in midfield and comes away with the ball. There are so many shining stars in this City team and I think the German is often overlooked. So just a shout out to him from me.

47 min:Almost a third. Haaland’s effort from inside the box is tipped wide by Leno down low to his right. Alvarez starts the move with some brilliant control and switch across the field. Haaland is fed with a cutback to the penalty spot and his first time effort looked destined for the bottom corner.

46 min:Back at it here at Craven Cottage. Word is Ream has been taken to hospital for a scan.

Some other scores around town:

• Bournemouth 2-1 Leeds
• Man United 1-0 Aston Villa
• Newcastle 0-1 Southampton

If it stays like this, United will move ahead of Newcastle into third.

Southampton will stay bottom but close the gap to 17th to three points.

Half-Time: Fulham 1-2 Manchester City

That’ll be that for the opening 45. Fulham still in this thanks to a tasty strike from Vinicius. Haaland’s early penalty took him to 50 and Alvarez’s sumptuous curler into the top corner moved the visitors back in front.

Been a fun half. Back in a bit.

45+3:The corner from Wilson is cleared right in front of Ederson. Fulham tried to crowd the City six yard box but Gundogan as the first man gets his head to it. Wilson gets another chance to cross but over hits it.

44 min:Fulham aren’t the sort of side who lump it long and even agains the champions they’re passing it on the ground. Fair play to them. Unfortunately for them, they can’t work any space in the final third.

GOAL! Fulham 1-2 Man City (Alvarez, 36)

GOLAZZO!!! That’s a stunner. Alavarez doesn’t have options from outside the box so he whips it with his right foot into the top left corner, curving it away from a diving Leno. What a hit.

29 min:Reed is having an influence in the middle. That’s another ball stolen and he then shakes off two City players to retain possession. Reid also jiggles around a couple of tacklers. This is sharp fromFulham. At least it was until Walker’s extra pace means he comes away with the ball near the touchline.

27 min:Grealish has hit the post! Leno made the save and tipped it onto the upright. Grealish again in space on the left receives a diagonal ball. He then controls, opens his body and looks for the far corner. It doesn’t quite have the elevation so Leno can get a hand to it.

22 min:Fulham string a slick move down the left and an inside ball is expertly dummied but Reid on the charge through the middle isn’t on the same wavelength. Almost. Had he controlled he would have been through on goal.

19 min:There’s a delay as Ream receives treatment. He looks in genuine pain. Not sure what’s ailing him but there’s movement in the Fulham bench. Not looking good for the skipper.

GOAL! Fulham 1-1 Man City (Vinicius, 15)

Oh wow! What a goal! Where has that come from? A long ball to Wilson into the box and the header back lands for Vinicius and he lashes it past a statuesque Ederson.

14 min:Haaland gets the ball as he’s moving away from goal. He holds it up, pivots and feeds Grealish on an overlap down the inside left channel. Grealish opens his body to shoot but it’s a tame effort along the ground straight to Leno. Should have done better there.

8 min: Good feet from Stones keeps it moving. Walker then switches to Grealish who cuts back onto his right foot before dinking a ball in the mixer. Alvarez nods it to the back post and Mahrez volleys firmly, but straight at Leno. Wouldn’t have counted as the Algerian was offside. Still, lovely play as they switched gears

6 min: Mahrez has it inside the box on the right. He twists and turns and looks to move it onto his left foot for a shooting chance. He does so but comes back again and loses it.

GOAL! Fulham 0-1 Man City (Haaland, 3 pen)

50 goals this season for one of the most phenomenal footballers I’ve ever seen. He smashes the penalty to Leno’s left but it hits the side netting before the keeper reaches it.

2 min: Haaland 50 loading. Gundoagan sprays a brilliant ball out to Grealish who floats in a cross to the far post. It bounces and Alavarez is floored by Ream. No question about it. Penalty given.

Haaland one short of 50

City have named three at the back with Stones in a midfield role. They’ll be expected to boss the ball which is good news for the striking Viking up top who is one goal away from a staggering half century in what is surely the most impressive debut season in Premier League history.

Manchester City 3-4-3: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Akanji, Stones, Gundogan, Rodri, Alvarez, Grealish, Mahrez, Haaland.

Substitutes: Phillips, Silva, Gomez, Perrone, Foden, Ortega, Carson, Laporte, Lewis.

Vinicius leads line for Fulham

The Brazilian up top will hopefully have a busy day with the ball at his feet, but it’s not hard to envisage a tough afternoon chasing shadows and long balls. Can he make any of them stick and link up with a stacked midfield?

Fulham 4-5-1: Leno, Tete, Adarabioyo, Ream (C), Robinson, Reed, Wilson, De Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Palhinha, Vinicius.

Substitutes: Kebano, Cairney, James, Lukic, Rodak, Solomon, Duffy, Soares, Diop.

Preamble

How do we describe Manchester City? A Google search for “Manchester City machine” yields 306,000 results. “Manchester City juggernaut” produces 7,590 hits. “Manchester City unstoppable” comes up with 4,380.

It seems we’ve run out of superlatives for a team that is on track to win a treble in third gear. Except I’ve found one that we haven’t explored yet.

“Manchester City blob” comes up with zero pages on Google. But that is what they are. Though they move the ball at breakneck speed, whizzing it around hapless defenders who must feel as if they’ve been caught in a cyclone, Manchester City as a collective have consumed English football like the slow crawling Blob monster.

There’s nothing anyone can do about it. There’s no reasoning with it. By the end of the film the carnivorous jelly-like alien remains intact and insatiably hungry. It isn’t thwarted. It’s just shipped off to Antarctica where it’ll hopefully freeze.

Unfortunately for every other side in the Premier League , that isn’t an option here. And next up in City’s sights are Fulham, a team that has punched well above its weight for most of the campaign.

The smart money is on the Blob consuming another victim. Whether they play through the middle, spread it wide, tiki-taka it around or send it long to the big lad with the luscious locks, this result feels inevitable.

But this is football and upsets do occur. A Fulham win would do wonders for a title race that has all but eroded and certainly prove that Pep’s boys are of this world, and not a cluster of creatures from a far off galaxy.

We (everyone but City fans) can hope for something unpredictable. Unless of course the Blob has arrived in west London with an appetite.