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Sergio Agüero scored his first Premier League goal in over a year to help Manchester City win 3-0 at Fulham to move 17 points clear at the top of the table.
Pep Guardiola’s team had to wait until the start of the second half before taking the lead with a close-range shot from John Stones, before Gabriel Jesús soon took advantage of a confusion at the rear to double the visitors’ lead.
Aguero, in his second start with City since October and captaining his team, provided the icing on the cake by converting a penalty at the hour mark, with the forward ending a 13-game goalless streak dating back to January. 2020.
As a result, City now need just 14 points from their last eight games to clinch the title, while Scott Parker’s team remains in the relegation zone on goal difference behind Brighton, who have two games in hand against the West Londoners.
How the city approached the title
City have made more changes to the Premier League than any other team so far this season and Guardiola did it again at Craven Cottage, making seven changes to the team that beat Southampton so convincingly last time, with one eye. place in the Champions League last Wednesday. 16 back tied at home against Borussia Monchengladbach.
One of them saw a retreat for Agüero when the visitors opted for a 3-4-3 formation, although not surprisingly they have missed so much football in recent times, the Argentine looked rusty and off-beat in a largely first half. part devoid of any significant action. .
City tested Alphonse Areola a couple of times through shots from Ferran Torres and Bernardo Silva, but Fulham No. 1 was more than up to the task as the two teams tied at half-time.
However, one minute and 16 seconds into the second half and City went ahead when Silva launched a free kick from the left touchline, only to miss the mark and allow the Stones a single shot for their fourth goal in their last 10 appearances. for the club.
Just nine minutes later, City doubled their lead, and again, Fulham was their worst enemy when a confusion between Ivan Cavaleiro and captain Joachim Andersen let in Jesus, who coldly surrounded Areola for his 12th goal of the season.
Minutes later, former Fulham City defender Tosin Adarabioyo was caught in possession while attempting a quick move, before the youngster made matters worse by bursting into Torres’ area for a clear penalty.
Aguero, 32, outpointed Areola from the penalty spot, even though the Frenchman dived the right way, as City scored their 99th goal of the season to record a 16th straight away game without losing. .
City without stopping on the road – Opta Man of the Match statistics – Bernardo Silva
Silva struggled early in the season, found it difficult to get into City’s lineup, but has been back in shape lately.
And the diminutive forward was once again in song in West London to help City achieve a 3-0 win, orchestrating all the good from the visitors.
The Portugal international came close to opening the scoring in the first half, only to be turned away by a clever save near the post from Alphonse Areola, and continued to be the standout player after the break.
And it was Silva’s mocking free kick that created the crucial first game for John Stones early in the second half, as the 26-year-old again reminded everyone of his importance to this team.
Whats Next?
City will face Mönchengladbach at the Etihad in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday (8pm CET), leading 2-0 from the first leg, ahead of the Cup quarter-finals. FA at Everton on Saturday March 20 (5:30 pm). .
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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