Erling Haaland hits Manchester City hat-trick but Fulham rue VAR decision

VAR continues to do the very opposite of its supposed function: it creates controversy rather than eradicate it. Manchester City enter the international break with a maximum 12 points, though this fourth win of the season was hardly the champions at their smoothest, despite Erling Haaland registering his fifth Premier League hat-trick, and turned on a second goal that restored their lead and left Fulham furious.

From Phil Foden’s corner, a Nathan Aké header flew in, going past a Manuel Akanji who leaped over it from an offside position and appeared to be “in the line of vision” (making this an infringement, the law states) of Fulham’s goalkeeper, Bernd Leno. Yet Tony Harrington, the game’s VAR, confirmed that he ruled Akanji was not impeding Leno, and that he had also judged the Swiss not to have touched the ball (another potential illegality).

Understandably Marco Silva was livid and could have picked up a fourth booking of the season. Further disquiet followed: after Fulham had thrown a ball on believing it was needed for the restart, Kyle Walker hurled one back in the direction of Luis Boa Morte, a visiting coach, and words were exchanged.

All of this occurred after the Cottagers had fought back admirably, having overcome not only City’s initial lead through Julián Álvarez, but the aftershocks of the farrago of João Palhinha’s transfer deadline day transfer to Bayern Munich (he took a medical and posed for pictures in the strip) that collapsed when time ran out.

City were not their dominant selves. Tom Cairney’s withdrawal due to a 16th-minute injury, to follow Palhinha’s absence, meant Silva’s side were two creative forces down yet it was the Portuguese’s charges who tapped passes about and took the match to their hosts. The latter’s opener was as much a hotchpotch as their display. Mateo Kovacic’s pass to Haaland impressed, but the No 9’s shot was a mishit that became a lucky cross that Álvarez rolled home at close range.

In Kalvin Phillips, Bernardo Silva, Sergio Gomez, Josko Gvardiol and Matheus Nunes (the last two summer buys), the treble winners had £226m of talent spread across five substitutes yet their on-field colleagues grasped for control and rhythm on a day when another fresh acquisition, Jérémy Doku, made his debut.

In Jack Grealish, not in the match-day sqaud due to a minor thigh problem that casts doubt over his England involvement next week, there was a further £100m footballer missing, but the biggest absences were the long-term injured Kevin De Bruyne and the manager, Pep Guardiola having to watch his misfiring team from home while convalescing after a back operation.

Game over? Fulham thought not as soon Jiménez teed up Luke Harris, on for Cairney, but he could only balloon up an insipid effort that was easy for Ederson to clutch.

Haaland scored his second when scoring a penalty after Issa Diop felled Álvarez in the area, before his hat-trick arrived in added time, Sergio Gómez’s trickery along the left creating the opening for the prolific marksman.

This left scant doubt surrounding the result – unlike the afternoon’s prime talking point.