Everything is relative and as Pep Guardiola’s worst Premier League season ended with Champions League qualification, Manchester United were hitting that magic 40-point mark.
Thoughts turned to those back home by those Manchester City supporters down here, who spent the opening five minutes of this victory solidly chanting about Ruben Amorim, ‘tears in the Stretford End’ and were later doing the Poznan once Erling Haaland’s penalty made the points – and their own destiny – safe.
They kept revisiting Amorim at regular intervals, singing on the way to Putney Bridge as the Portuguese was apologising to Old Trafford. Things might have been bad this year but have a look at the others.
Fifteen years on the bounce now for City in Europe’s premier competition and they have gone the scenic route to that destination this time, perhaps no better day to finish that than on the banks of the Thames when the sun’s peeking through.
Third, behind Liverpool and Arsenal, is a major surprise given how abject this team were before New Year. When the legs went, when the captain Kyle Walker called it off and headed for Milan, when injuries relentlessly kept coming.
So while Guardiola will not make any great declarations that this is anywhere near comparable to the silverware and dominance of the recent past, there will be a quiet gratification at earning this when things seemed to be heading south.
Ilkay Gundogan scored a brilliant opener as Manchester city beat Fulham on Sunday
Gundogan produced a spectacular overhead kick to break the deadlock in the first half
The German’s acrobatic finish put the visitors ahead and they remained in control of the game
In theory it offers City more financial flexibility when reshaping the squad this summer and takes them to the Club World Cup in an improved headspace. The mood inside the dressing room has plummeted at times, Guardiola recognising they’d lost emotional connections with each other, yet they sufficiently sorted themselves out in the nick of time.
A win here, it transpires, was not required, and Fulham created problems – created moments of danger, forcing Ederson into action. But once Kevin De Bruyne was introduced, to a standing ovation from some sections of Craven Cottage – underlining the reverence with which the great is held – City were home and dry.
Ilkay Gundogan started that and the purity of his overhead kick, kissing the underside of Bernd Leno’s goal with a large degree of satisfaction, was what made the 21st-minute opener such a spectacle. Laced perfectly after Matheus Nunes – marauding down Fulham’s left all afternoon – had the beating of an unusually out of sorts Antonee Robinson in the build-up.
There didn’t seem the room for Gundogan to contort his body, to engineer the strike, which made the finish all the more impressive. Remarkably, his first league goal since returning last summer. Gundogan has triggered a year’s extension and his form in recent weeks has indicated that the German can still have a role to play here.
So too Bernardo Silva, who ran proceedings early on from an off-right central midfield area. The frequency of City’s vertical balls, bypassing the little square passes, frightened Kenny Tete while marking Jeremy Doku, who regularly turned on the jets. So quick and so tricky, Doku electrified until he entered the box – his main contributions a cutback for Omar Marmoush and seeing his own deflected effort fly wide after Gundogan’s instinctive volley into open space despite countless opportunities.
Guardiola complained at the Belgian from 80 yards away, frustration met with a flabbergasted look by the winger. But City going more direct with Marmoush and Haaland working in tandem felt noticeable and perhaps a nod to next season. If Guardiola can get those two firing together, it’ll represent a scary prospect.
Erling Haaland doubled the lead from the penalty spot after Gundogan was fouled
Haaland celeb rates with his team-mates after netting his 22nd top flight goal of the season
Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne came off the bench in what was his final game for the Citizens
Leno thwarted Josko Gvardiol’s bullet header with his nose, while Ederson twice repelled Harry Wilson when floating in off the right. Tom Cairney, on what appeared his final outing here after a decade’s service, saw an effort blocked by Manuel Akanji and curled another wide. The Fulham skipper appeared forlorn when later substituted.
Ederson’s rush of blood, haring out 30 yards from his own goal, should have been capitalised on by Raul Jiminez. His shanked half-volley never threatened the empty net and as Adama Traore couldn’t find the final ball in much the same way as Doku, Gundogan won a penalty with 20 minutes left when tripped by Sasa Lukic.
