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IIn the first half, and in the absence of De Bruyne, the man who had possession overlooking the field was, most often, Stones taking the ball out of position on the right side of the three defenders.
Fulham’s pressing form meant they simply didn’t have the manpower to stop it at all times. They managed to control Bernardo Silva and Rodri and was admirably well disciplined.
Harrison Reed played deep, often falling to mark Aguero. Fulham did very little in attack, but at half time they had achieved something. It was just scrapped very quickly.
First Stones eluded home defense and ran a Joao Cancelo cross past Alphonse Areola on the line. The second was a calamity. A bad ball from Cavaleiro put pressure on Joachim Andersen and his pass bounced off his teammate. It left Jesus with a clear run at Areola and finished well.
The penalty against Adarabioyo was for a clash with Ferran Torres. The former boy from the town’s academy had been caught, but Parker reaffirmed her faith in him afterward. Adarabioyo is one that Fulham believes can improve a lot.
There was no mistake from Aguero’s penalty spot although he looked a bit lazy in his touch for much of the game. Ademola Lookman stole the ball early in the second half in a way that will have stung a player of the Argentine category.
The upcoming games against Leeds United, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers will give Fulham a better idea of whether they can come out of the relegation zone with nine games to play. They seem like a decent side but it remains to be seen if they’ve left it too late.
For Guardiola it’s three competitions in a week: the Champions League next Tuesday and then Everton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday. It feels impossible to interrupt them currently, no matter which team is selected, no matter how promising it may seem in brief moments to an opponent trying to keep them at bay.
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