Fulham vs. Man City final score: Premier League result, highlights, stats as Guardiola's men hang on in nine-goal thriller

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CRAVEN COTTAGE, LONDON — Manchester City were literal inches from blowing a four-goal lead, but wound up hanging on grimly in the end for an astonishing and wacky 5-4 win at Fulham.

Erling Haaland's became the fastest player in Premier League history to 100 goals, an achievement which felt on track to be the story of the night. By the full-time whistle, it felt like a footnote.

Phil Foden backed up his weekend brace at Leeds with another fine double, putting City 3-0 up before halftime and 4-1 up shortly after the break. Yet as they did in that game, City collapsed from a position of strength.

A brace from substitute Samuel Chukwueze had Fulham on the brink of the improbable, and another replacement, Kevin, nearly secured a miraculous point, had Josko Gvardiol not hacked his effort of the line deep into stoppage time.

The result moves City to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal. But on the evidence of this fabulous, freeform nonsense, the most dominant club of this era in English football are not remotely credible title challengers this season.

Fulham vs. Man City final score

Venue: Craven Cottage, London
Referee: Craig Pawson

Keep track of every game and every goal via SN's live Premier League scoreboard

Confirmed lineups:

Fulham (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Bernd Leno (GK) — 2. Kenny Tete (21. Timothy Castagne), 5. Joachim Andersen, 3. Calvin Bassey, 30. Ryan Sessegnon — 16. Sander Berge, 20. Sasa Lucic (19. Samuel Chukwueze) — 8. Harry Wilson (22. Kevin), 32. Emile Smith Rowe (24. Josh King), 17. Alex Iwobi — 7. Raul Jimenez (18. Jonah Kusi-Asare)

Man City (4-3-3, right to left): 25. Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK) — 27. Matheus Nunes, 3. Ruben Dias, 24. Josko Gvardiol, 33. Nico O'Reilly — 20. Bernardo Silva, 14. Nico Gonzalez (5. John Stones), 4. Tijjani Reijnders — 47. Phil Foden (6. Nathan Ake), 9. Erling Haaland, 11. Jeremy Doku (26. Savinho)

Haaland hit the post when teed up by Foden early in the contest in west London, but he made no mistake with a thunderous strike after Tijjani Reijnders dummied Jeremy Doku's 17th-minute cross. It meant the Norway superstar hit triple digits in just 111 matches.

Roles were reversed when Haaland held up play expertly to play Netherlands midfielder Reijnders through for his first club goal since the opening weekend of the season.

Foden backed up his weekend brace against Leeds with a sumptuous strike to make it three for CIty just before halftime, although a deft header from Emile Smith Rowe on the end of Harry Wilson's chipped cross gave Fulham hope as they headed for the dressing room.

Thoughts of a comeback appeared to have been extinguished when Foden collected an inadvertent Haaland backheel to net his second, and Sander Berge deflected a Doku attempt into his own net. With City 5-1 up, there was surely no way back for the hapless hosts.

Yet it was then that proceedings went completely off script. Alex Iwobi started the fightback with a glorious 25-yard strike, which featured a common theme of City not fully clearing danger before watching the ball whistle into the back of their net.

Chukwueze was twice the beneficiary, first after a lengthy VAR check that only served to stoke up a buoyant atmosphere and again when Gianluigi Donnarumma didn't get full purchase on a punch from a right-wing corner.

Fulham fell agonisingly short of completing a comeback that would have lived long in Premier League lore, but only after Gvardiol denied Kevin at the last, hoofing a sloppy, goal-bound effort away in the 98th minute. What looked like becoming a much-needed statement for Guardiola's new-look side left him with more questions than answers and a gigantic sense of relief.

Fulham vs. Man City stats

Fulham vs. Man City live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime

It's a poor corner. O'Reilly blocks it with his chest, Cherki tries to welt the ball into the Thames and that's the final whistle. What a remarkable game. City move to within two points of Arsenal but the fact Mikel Arteta's team would never embroil themselves in such fabulous nonsense explains why they're heavy favourites to win the league. Thanks for joining us. Take yourself off to lie down in a dark room if you need to. BARCLAYS!

90+9 mins: Fulham corner. Now or never. The old ground is ROCKING. 

90+8 mins: GVARDIOL OFF THE LINE!!!!  NURSE! Kevin scampers into the City box, produces a deft finish and the Croatia defender comes up with an amazing clearance.

90+7 mins: Ake coming on for Foden, who must feel like he scored his second goal about three months ago.

90+4 mins: City have belatedly reattached their heads and Haaland almost sniffs out a chance to (you would think?!) Make sure of the points.

90 mins: EIGHT MINUTES OF ADDED TIME! Woof! Due another goal, right?

87 mins: Chukwueze jinks through a couple of challenges and goes for glory but fires over. Seriously, though, who can blame him. Guardiola has shifted Gvardiol to left-back, Stones to centre-back and O'Reilly into midfield. Which might come to look a bit like the deckchairs on the Titanic, but let's see.

85 mins: Another Fulham corner. This old place is rocking. Foul on Donnarumma, who will take his sweet time.

84 mins: Chukwueze goes down in a heap under a challenge from O'Reilly. Oooofff, no penalty. 

81 mins: Foden goes down for some treatment, it allows City to take the sting out of the game. Kevin replaces Wilson for Fulham, while Cherki comes on for Reijnders as Guardiola seems to shift the momentum.

78 mins: GOOOOOAAALLLLLLL!!!!!! Samuel Chukwueze!!!!!

Would you believe it?!?!?!?!?!  Corner from the right, Donnarumma punches half clear and there's Chukwueze again to clatter through the crowd. 

76 mins: GOAL STANDS!  Hold onto your hands. King on for Smith Rowe to aid the Fulham charge.

75 mins: Still checking. This place is about to turn into a bear bit or have all the air let out of the balloon.

72 mins: GOOOOOAAALLLLLLL!!!!!! Samuel Chukwueze!!!!!

Now then! Another ball into the box that City don't deal with and Chukwueze smacks it gleefully home.

Oh, hang on, we have. VAR check for offside.

70 mins: Haaland hit the post again!  City's No. 9 gets up at the far post to meet Savinho's cross. His header his the inside of Leno's right post, spins behind the goalkeeper and away. I'm not sure you can get much closer to scoring without scoring.

67 mins: Dias forced into a last-ditch challenge to deny a sliding Jimenez.

65 mins: Fulham charge down the City right. The ball comes all the way over to Wilson, who has plenty of room, but his lofted ball to the backpost lacks direction. Doku has sat down just in time to see the stadium screen declaring his goal will actually go down as a Berge own goal. 

64 mins: Double change for City as their most recent goalscorer Doku and Gonzalez make way for Savinho and Stones.

62 mins: Donnarumma gets a punch on the cross. Doku breaks away but Fulham see off the danger this time. Once upon a time, Manchester City would have just kept hold of the ball for five minutes and put everything beyond doubt in this situation. This Guardiola vintage seems entirely incapable of that.

61 mins: Wilson pumps a brilliant ball towards Jimenez from the right. Nunez manages to smuggle behind. 

60 mins: Chance for Jimenez, who shoots to close to Donnarumma and was offside in any case. But the home fans have found their voice.

57 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Alex Iwobi!!!!!

It might not end up counting for much in the final analysis, but that's a fabulous hit from Iwobi, who is given too much room when a half-cleared cross drops to him 25 yards out. Having said that, we've had seven goals inside an hour now, so who knows if Fulham are out of this or not?

54 mins: GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Jeremy Doku!!!!

Fulham make a mess of playing out from the back and Doku pounces on it. He then gets a big slice of fortune as his shot hits Berge on the thigh and loops over Leno.

53 mins: Nico still hobbling around a little gingerly. That shot caught the Spanish midfielder in a somewhat sensitive area.

52 mins: Fulham look for a response and Nico has to fling himself in the way of a Smith Rowe shot.

48 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! Phil Foden!!!!!

That puts a dampener on the faintly suggested Fulham comeback. City surge forward and Doku has his first look at Belgium teammate Castagne this evening. He drive the ball into the box, where Haaland produces a backheel. Not entirely sure he meant that but it falls pleasingly for Foden to dispatch the finish.

Kickoff: 2nd Half

Two changes for Fulham as we get back under way. Castagne and Chukwueze on for Tete and Lukic. Attacking changes at that. It'll mean Iwobi back into central midfield and Chukwueze out on the left wing. 

Halftime

The first 45 minutes ends with Fulham putting pressure on, the crowd up and Erling Haaland asking the referee for the whistle. It's still been a fine half overall for City, who haven't played anything like this week since before the November international break. Haaland, Reijnders and Foden all with wonderfully taken goals. But Smith Rowe also has one of those to his name now and that might just change the complexion a bit.

45+1 mins: GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!!! Emile Smith Rowe!!!!

Game on? Wilson clips a cross back from the byline and Smith Rowe stoops to direct an excellent header beyond Donnarumma.

44 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!!! Phil Foden!!!!

Leno punches the corner, which is an error because it drops to Foden, who absolutely creams a strike past the Fulham keeper from the edge of the area.

43 mins: Doku forces Berge to boot behind for a corner. Fulham have been ragged since that second City goal and look like a team in need of halftime.

37 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Tijjani Reijnders!!!!!

The Dutch midfielder has his first goal since the opening weekend of the season, dinking over Leno after some supreme centre-forward play from Haaland. The link-up side of his game isn't always up to scratch but that was bang on the money.

33 mins: Wilson with a devilish in-swining cross that Dias heads clear. Good spell for Fulham this. Bassey treads on Haaland. Accidental but that looked painful. We'll have a short stoppage. The big Cottagers' centre-back is very apologetic.

32 mins: City botch the opportunity to clear a couple of times and Dias has to block Berge's cross behind for a corner. The corner could be better from Lukic but Silva misses his clearance and Smith Rowe lofts a shot over.

27 mins: Doku overhits a cross from the left. It runs to Nunes, who puts in a far better ball and Haaland's header is deflected over. Reijnders' corner goes deep to Doku, whose volley is blocked.

24 mins: Donnarumma with a fine save. Smith Rowe ghosts into space in the City box and gets off a snap shot that the Italy No. 1 keeps out with a firm hand down to his right.

21 mins: End-to-end Barclays! Reijnders sends Haaland away with a lovely ball over the top. Bassey, who was culpable on the goal, steals into take the ball from between Haaland and Doku. His Nigeria teammate Iwobi fires into the box to no avail.

17 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!! Erling Haaland!!!!

No mistake this time from the big man. Doku with an incisive low cross, which Reijnders dummies smartly. That leaves Haaland to clatters a finish beyond Leno before he has time to smell it. Not a bad way to reach 100 Premier League goals.

Available in the US

INEVITABLE. 👏

IN HIS 111TH MATCH, ERLING HAALAND SCORES HIS 100TH PREMIER LEAGUE GOAL. Pic.twitter.com/eeEKzPNXB3

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) December 2, 2025

Available in the UJ

Erling Haaland scores his 100th Premier League goal! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TrwMPAWLop

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 2, 2025

15 mins: Nice move from City, featuring Nunes driving into midfield from right-back. His fellow full-back O'Reilly gets into the box but takes too many touches.

14 mins: The hosts have settled now. Home fans are calling for Iwobi to shoot, which would be bold from 30 yards. Then he chips a pass stright through to Donnarumma. Might as well have shot.

11 minsb:  The free-kick is passed straight to Doku, who tries to break away but takes an awful touch and then brings down Wilson trying to remedy the situation. Well done, everyone.

10 mins: Foden carelessly coughs up possession and Nico brings down Jimenez with a lumbering challenge about 40 yards from goal.

9 mins: Fulham with their first attack of note. Jimenez releases Wilson, who has room to tear down the right. His ball into the box finds Smith Rowe and ricochets off Dias for a corner. Nunes heads that away at the near post.

6 mins: Haaland hits the post!  City carve through Fulham, with Silva and Nunes setting Foden on his way. He tees up Haaland and you'd put your mortgage on him scoring that. Instead, his slotted finish hits the inside of the left post and bounces to safety.

4 mins: Not to say nothing of note has happened so far, but the all-white vs. All-black kit combination here looks very nice.

Kickoff: 1st Half

City get us underway

4 mins before kickoff: Here come the teams. Lots of pyro. Which is nice, because it's not particularly warm

No pyro, no party. Pic.twitter.com/GGD64IMSKs

— Dom Farrell (@DomFarrell1986) December 2, 2025

15 mins before kickoff: The players heading off after their warmups, when the rain has been coming down. Feels like a night for zipping some passes about at probably the Premier League's most picturesque grounds.

40 mins before kickoff: After going nuclear for the first few months of the season, Erling Haaland is scoreless in his past three outings. The big Norwegian drew blanks in City's Premier League games against Newcastle and Leeds and was unable to turnaround the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen when he came off the bench. Phil Foden stepped up with a brilliant brace at the weekend, although further help would be handy. Tijjani Reijnders has a knack of timing runs from midfield into the box both those have not yielded a goal since the opening weekend of the season.

1 hour before kickoff: Sasa Lukic is in to add further heft to Fulham's central midfield alongside Sander Berge. Emile Smith Rowe gets a start in the attacking trident supporting centre-forward Raul Jimenez.

1 hr 15 mins before kickoff: So, Pep Guardiola has responded to City getting worse throughout the game against Leeds by naming the same XI four days later. You do you, Pep.

Your City side to take on Fulham! 👊

XI | Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Nico, Bernardo (C), Reijnders, Foden, Doku, Haaland

SUBS | Trafford, Stones, Ake, Marmoush, Cherki, Ait-Nouri, Savinho, Khusanov, Lewis

🤝 @etihad pic.twitter.com/psONQpKdcp

— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 2, 2025

1 hr 30 mins before kickoff: City will end up just two points behind Arsenal if they win in west London tonight, with the Gunners not in action until they host Brentford tomorrow. Anything less and there will be legitimate questions over whether a squad that has undergone a hasty refit over the past two transfer windows is really ready to mount a credible title challenge. During their golden period under Pep Guardiola, City would unfussily bank games like this and move onto the next one. The Catalan has never done anything but win at Craven Cottage.

However, City appear to have neither the capability or desire to control games as they once could. They claimed a sparkling 4-0 win at Wolves on the opening weekend of the season, but that now exists in the context of the Molineux outfit still been winless in the league with a couple of doors of the Advent calendar open. Since then, a grinding 1-0 win at Brentford is City's only Premier League success on the road and they have lost their past two at Aston Villa and Newcastle.

2 hours before kickoff. Hello and welcome to AllSportsPeople' live coverage of Fulham vs. Manchester City in the Premier League.

Fulham vs. Man City kick off time

This Premier League match kicks off in London, UK at 7:30 p.m. Local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

Fulham vs. Man City lineups, team news

Fulham boss Marco Silva  has no new injury concerns.

Full-back Antonee Robinson  and striker Rodrigo Muniz  remain sidelined.

Sasa Lucic  returned from the bench at Tottenham and comes into central midfield, while Emile Smith Rowe starts in the attacking trio behind centre-forward Raul Jimenez.

Fulham starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Leno (GK) — Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon — Berge, Lucic — Wilson, Smith Rowe, Iwobi — Jimenez

Fulham subs: Lecomte (GK), Reed, Cairney, Cuenca, Kusi-Asare, Chukwueze, Castagne, Kevin, King

Rodri  remains out and, with Mateo Kovacic  a long-term absentee, Guardiola's options in terms of freshening up central midfield are limited.

The City boss has named the same XI that started against Leeds at the weekend.

Man City starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Donnarumma (GK) — Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly — Bernardo, Nico, Reijnders — Foden, Haaland, Doku

Man City subs: Trafford (GK), Stones, Ake, Marmoush, Cherki, Ait-Nouri, Savinho, Khusanov, Lewis

Fulham vs. Man City live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the world's major regions: