February 05, (THEWILL) – Manchester City marched into the fifth round of the FA Cup at the expense of Fulham, but they had to come back from a 1-0 deficit to win 4-1.
In the early minutes, Fulham teenager Fabio Carvalho silenced a sparsely populated Etihad Stadium with the game’s opener, but City quickly turned it around with strikes from Ilkay Gundogan and John Stones.
Riyad Mahrez then scored two goals early in the second half to seal the victory.
Fulham’s first attack of the game resulted in a goal as City failed to apply sufficient pressure on the ball. This allowed the visitors move it from back to front in three rapid passes. Carvalho, who came close to joining Liverpool in January, took his chance to slot home unmarked in the penalty area.
But the hosts were quick to equalise, keeping the ball alive after an effort by Jack Grealish was stopped, with the impressive Mahrez laying it off for Gundogan to finish. Stones doubled their tally with a near-post header, punishing Fulham for sloppy man-marking.
Even though City were leading, they did not appear like a team nine points clear at the top of the English Premier League playing Championship opposition at home. It was a continuation of the unconvincing showing that EPL teams have displayed, on the one hand and the confidence of lower league sides, on the other.
But Fulham contrived to worsen their case. When they gave the ball away cheaply early in the second half, Grealish seized on the chance to dribble into the penalty area before being pulled down. Pep Guardiola’s charges got the break they needed to extend their lead. The resulting spot-kick was comfortably converted by Mahrez.
Again, Fulham were responsible for the margin of their loss as City’s fourth goal was another gift. The visitors lost the ball in a dangerous area, which Kevin De Bruyne took the possession of and laid out to Mahrez. Although the Algerian’s first-time shot was poor, it was still deflected in by Tim Ream.
The score guaranteed that the rest of the game was played at a low-intensity level, with both sets of players fully aware that the outcome would not alter. There was still time for substitute Liam Delap to score a fifth goal, but an offside flag negated his effort.
City therefore advanced to the fifth round, and if they continue to play with the same vigour as they showed in the second half, few will be able to stop them.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
