Fulham – Manchester City: Gvardiol’s Double Drives City One Step Closer To Four-Peat (0-4)

Joško Gvardiol made a decisive impact with a brace, but it was Manchester City’s supremely technical midfielders that stifled Fulham, limiting them to just one shot on goal. Despite a slow start in the first ten minutes, during which City adjusted to Fulham’s shape without the ball, they controlled the proceedings and were efficient when it mattered. Pep Guardiola’s adaptation was also instrumental as his team edged closer to securing a historic fourth consecutive title.

Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan.

The question of whether Fulham are already on the beach was certainly on the minds of Arsenal supporters, who were hoping for quite a favor from their fellow London team. However, in the broader context, this was Fulham’s final home game of another relatively smooth season in the top-flight, and they had all eyes on ending it with three points. Twenty-nine of their forty-four points have come on their home turf, fostering a belief around the Cottage that they can overcome the big guns, as displayed earlier this season against Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

But Marco Silva’s men certainly haven’t been in the best of form, having won just once in their last seven games and remaining winless in their last three home games. This, coupled with the fact that their last victory over Manchester City came almost a decade and half ago, meant that the odds were stacked against them.

Silva made just one change from their recent stalemate with Brentford. Former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno . . .