Premier League - Tuesday 02nd December 2025, 7:30 PM
Fulham4
(1)
-
(3)
5
Man City
Attendance: 26700
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
Match events
17
Haaland
37
Reijnders
44
Foden
Smith Rowe
45
Castagne
45
Tete
45
Chukwueze
45
Lukic
45
48
Foden
54
Berge og
Iwobi
57
64
Stones
64
Gonzalez
64
Savinho
64
Doku
Chukwueze
72
Kusi-Asare
73
Jimenez
73
King
74
Smith Rowe
74
Chukwueze
78
Kevin
82
Wilson
82
82
Cherki
82
Reijnders
97
Akee
97
Foden
Match review
Match Report
Fulham (1) 4-5 (3) Manchester City
Premier League Match Day 14 25/26 at Craven Cottage
Tuesday 2nd December 2025 KO: 19:30
Referee:
Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
Live on SkySports
|
A brilliant Fulham comeback ended up going unrewarded as we fell to a 4-5 defeat against Manchester City on a bonkers evening at Craven Cottage.
Three moments of class had City three up through Erling Haaland, Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden, but Emile Smith Rowe pulled one back with a fine header before the break.
Another Foden effort and a Sander Berge own goal then appeared to have the visitors in control, but again the Whites fought back through Alex Iwobi and a Samuel Chukwueze brace off the bench – his first goals for the Club.
Our relentless pursuit of a fifth goal almost led to a dramatic equaliser at the death, only for Josh King to see his shot cleared off the line.
Marco Silva made a couple of changes to the side that defeated Tottenham Hotspur three days earlier, with Saša Lukic and Smith Rowe brought in for King and Chukwueze.
It looked for all the world that City would open the scoring, after a serious bout of possession, in the sixth minute when Foden slid Haaland through superbly, but the Norwegian’s caressed strike hit the inside of the post with just Bernd Leno to beat.
Fulham immediately hit back with a slick counter, with Raúl Jiménez’s ball over the top freeing Harry Wilson. He then picked out the run of Smith Rowe in the middle, but his snapshot was quickly snaffled out for a corner by a recovering defender.
Having squandered a fantastic early opportunity, Haaland made no mistake with his second sighter of goal. Jeremy Doku fizzed across a dangerous ball on the wet surface which Foden dummied and Haaland slammed high into the net first time.
Fulham fans had some positive moments to cheer as we reached the midway stage of the half, courtesy of Calvin Bassey’s mazy run after robbing Haaland, and then Smith Rowe testing Gianluigi Donnarumma having collected Iwobi’s exquisite pass.
And it was the Whites’ no.32 who had our next chance as we continued to play on the front foot, but he didn’t catch his effort from the edge of the box as he’d like, and it spun a yard over the bar.
City’s second came out of nowhere, with Fulham enjoying our best spell of the game. There was no denying the quality, though, as Haaland waited for the opportune moment to release Reijnders who coolly scooped beyond Leno.
Two quickly became three, and again it was a fine finish, this time Foden curling home impeccably into the top left corner from the edge of the D after Leno’s punched clearance at a corner dropped to his feet.
It felt a big deficit, but Fulham had been positive in the first half, and got a deserved goal in stoppage through our most likely source. Having recycled a corner, Iwobi fed Wilson who delivered a peach of a cutback on his weaker right foot, with Smith Rowe guiding a textbook header over Donnarumma and into the far corner.
Silva shuffled his pack at the break, introducing Timothy Castagne and Chukwueze for Kenny Tete and Lukic.
We started brightly, enjoying all the ball and probing patiently, but City soon restored their three-goal lead with a highly fortuitous goal, Foden capitalising after Haaland’s miscontrol fell conveniently into his path.
| Match Stats |
Fulham |
Man City |
| Goals |
(1) 4 |
5 (3) |
|
| Scorers |
Smith Rowe 45 |
Haaland 17 |
|
Iwobi 57 |
Reijnders 37 |
|
Chukwueze 72 |
Foden 44 |
|
Chukwueze 78 |
Foden 48 |
|
- |
Berge og 54 |
| , |
| Goal attempts |
12 |
11 |
| On target |
6 |
4 |
| Shooting Accuracy |
50% |
36% |
| Possession |
57% |
43% |
| Passes |
594 |
457 |
| Passes Success |
88% |
84% |
| Crosses |
20 |
7 |
| Crosses Success |
25% |
57% |
| Corners |
7 |
2 |
| Tackles |
12 |
8 |
| Tackles Success |
60% |
42% |
| Saves |
0 |
1 |
| Fouls |
9 |
7 |
| Offsides |
4 |
1 |
| Yellows |
0 |
1 |
| Reds |
0 |
0 |
| source: SkySports |
Fulham heads hadn’t dropped at any point during the night, and that remained the case as we pushed forward again, with Raúl seeing a shot blocked by Nico Gonzalez, before Smith Rowe sent one over.
For all the quality of City’s strikes in the first half, their ones in the second could definitely be filed under ‘jammy,’ with Doku’s speculative effort not even heading on target until a significant deflection off Berge’s thigh spooned it over Leno and into the net.
But the Whites weren’t done, with Iwobi’s stunning low curler from 25 yards out lighting up the Cottage and ensuring we would have a competitive final half hour.
We continued to have the better of the play in the stages that followed, but City will always be a threat with their armoury, evidenced by Haaland heading against the near post after being picked out by Savinho.
The home fans had not stopped backing their side all night, and they had another goal to cheer when Chukwueze walloped a volley into the bottom corner after Castagne’s centre had diverted his way.
Chukwueze is a man who has immediately endeared himself to the Fulham faithful, and he further strengthened his bond with them when he lashed in another after Donnarumma punched the ball to him at a corner. 12 minutes of normal time to play, and just one goal to find.
People would have been calling for a statue if Chukwueze had bagged his hat-trick in the 88th minute after dribbling beyond three defenders and firing goalwards, but this time he wasn’t able to caress his strike and it missed the target.
Hope grew as eight minutes added time were announced, and it looked to be a fairytale end in the last of those when substitutes Kevin and King combined, with the latter agonisingly seeing his clipped finish hacked from off the line, to deny Fulham what would have been one of the all-time Premier League comebacks.
Fulham manager Marco Silva: We are going to take the positives
Fulham deserved a last-gasp equaliser which would have rescued a four-goal comeback against Man City on Tuesday, insisted head coach Marco Silva.
"If you talk about character, of course, what they showed was impressive," he said.
"Normally if you're losing with a heavy score, home or away, against a side like City, many things can come in the mind.
"After the fifth City goal, you want to react but can be thinking the damage is there and it's better not to take risks and make things worse.
"The reaction was unbelievable from the boys, the fans too, and from it we probably deserved the fifth goal."
Fulham: Leno, Tete (Castagne 45), Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon, Lukic (Chukwueze 45), Berge, Wilson (Kevin 82), Smith Rowe (King 74), Iwobi, Jimenez (Kusi-Asare 73)
Unused substitutes: Reed, Cairney, Cuenca, Lecomte
Goals:
Smith Rowe 45+1(And save face they do!
Smith-Rowe's looping header beats Donnarumma as Wilson's dinked cross finds him.
Fulham are down but not out!)
Iwobi 56(WHAT IS GOING ON? It's raining goals.
Super stuff from Iwobi, who gets onto the end of Wilson's lay-off to the edge of the box and catches it really sweetly to bend the ball past three City defenders in front of him and beyond an unsighted Donnarumma.)
Chukwueze 70(NOW IT IS GAME ON AGAIN! THUNDERBOLT FROM CHUKWUEZE!
What a way to get off the mark for your club - Castagne's cross is cut out by Silva and falls for the Nigerian, who cannons it beyond Donnarumma from the angle.)
Chukwueze 79 (WHAT IS THIS???? FROM THE DEPTHS OF DEFEAT, FULHAM ARE BACK IN IT! THIS IS SENSATIONAL!
It's another super strike from Chukwueze, who is on for a man of the match performance when he's only been on since half-time!
He latches onto another loose ball when Sessegnon's corner is cleared to the edge of the box, and lashes it into the far corner!
No need for a VAR check on that. You have to just admire it.)
Manchester City : Donnarumma, M Nunes, R Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly, BSilva, Gonzalez (Stones 64), Reijnders (Cherki 82), Foden (Akee 97), Haaland, Doku (Savinho 64)
Unused substitutes: Trafford, Omar Marmoush, Aït-Nouri, Khusanov, Lewis
Goals:
Haaland 17(AND THERE IT IS! TON UP!
The fastest player in history to reach 100 Premier League goals. A century in just 111 matches.
Doku's low ball is allowed to bounce through the box and reaches Haaland, who lashes it beyond Leno. The goalkeeper couldn't even get a hand out quick enough.)
Reijnders 27(IT'S ALL TOO EASY FOR MAN CITY. THEIR LEAD DOUBLED WITH THE CUTEST OF CHIPS.
The midfielder is slipped in by Haaland and he runs through Bassey and Andersen as though they aren't there before lifting it over an onrushing Leno. )
Foden 44(TAKE A BOW, PHIL FODEN.
It's a peach of a finish. Leno punches a corner right into his path.
And with nobody closing him down, Foden has all the time in the world to pick his spot and curl home from the edge of the area. )
Foden 48(Phil Foden wraps up the game for the second time tonight!
After Smith Rowe gave the hosts a glimmer of hope before the break, the in-form City man dashes it instantly in a devastating City move.
Haaland adds another involvement to his collection with an outrageous assist off the back of his heel - did he mean it? - but it's still a lovely finish to double his money too.)
Berge og 54(That tight home defence is going up in smoke on the Thames. A masterclass from Pep's men. What away woes were they again?
When your luck's in, it's in - Bassey and Andersen make a hash of clearing the ball from the edge of their own box straight to Doku.
But the Belgian still gets the help of a big deflection off Berge to loop his effort over Leno and in for five.)
Yellow Card: Cherki (tw,90+5)
Referee:
Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
Attendance: 26,700
Fulham are next in action at
16.30 next Sunday, 7th December, when they welcome Crystal Palace to The Cottage