Pep Guardiola admitted it was “impossible” for him to enjoy Manchester City’s 5-4 victory over Fulham, after his side nearly squandered a four-goal lead at Craven Cottage. The win moved City to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal, but the manager was left frustrated by his team’s late collapse.
City led 5-1 after 54 minutes, with Erling Haaland scoring his 100th Premier League goal in just 111 games, a record. However, Fulham mounted an extraordinary fightback, scoring three times in 21 minutes, including two goals from substitute Samuel Chukwueze. City held on to secure the points, but Guardiola was far from satisfied.
“Did you enjoy it? I lost my hair,” Guardiola said. “At 5-1 maybe, but at 5-4 I was watching the clock more than the game. It was tough and it would have been tougher if we could not get the result.” He criticised his side’s defending, saying: “All the goals were bad defending, we have to occupy the spaces a bit better.”
Guardiola praised Haaland’s milestone, calling it “insane” and noting the striker’s numbers are beyond debate. Meanwhile, Fulham manager Marco Silva acknowledged his team’s character but lamented their slow start, saying: “We have to do each match better quicker … they punished us.”
