I saw Gianluigi Donnarumma learn important lesson during thrilling Man City win

Manchester City's goalkeeper has been in the spotlight for his 'dark arts' recently but perhaps a corner has been turned

Prior to the trip to Fulham on Tuesday night, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insisted Gianluigi Donnarumma was 'adult enough' to avoid receiving a suspension. No goalkeeper in Premier League history has triggered a suspension for five yellow cards before, but after just ten appearances ahead of the game at Craven Cottage, the Italian had four.

There are now five games remaining for Donnarumma to avoid such an unwanted distinction, but if there was ever a time he could fall foul of the referee's yellow card, it was Tuesday night. City were cruising to victory with the 5-1 scoreline a fair reflection of their dominance.

And yet, the Blues conspired to make a game of it. Three goals in just over 20 minutes got Craven Cottage rocking and City holding on for dear life to their lead. In these moments, you expect the winning team to employ the 'dark arts'.

Time wasting is subjective, and there is such a fine line between being clever and being caught. Despite all the criticisms of his handling of situations, his bookings for dissent, and his seemingly inability to alter his behaviour, Donnarumma did himself proud at Fulham.

Yes, the goalkeeper took his time restarting play and with the crowd baying for blood, this risky strategy could have backfired but he was clever about it. He was not spoken to by referee Rob Jones even when the home fans were demanding him to take action.

It was game management which will make opposition fans' blood boil but it remained within the laws of the game and that is a credit to Donnarumma. Of course, this is only the beginning of the tightrope which the Italian is walking.

The former PSG star must now continue to heed the lesson he learnt at Fulham. He needs to keep a cool head and ensure he is not a target that the opposition can exploit.

Perhaps the threat of a suspension is leading Donnarumma to avoid situations which he may ordinarily get involved in. For instance, when Erling Haaland was clattered in the first half by Calvin Bassey right in front of the press box, the goalkeeper initially jogged over to complain, but you could see a realisation, he checked his stride and remained out of it.

It is a credit to Donnarumma that we are picking up on his disciplinary record as an area where he needs to improve. Apart from that, he has enjoyed a good start to life in Manchester.

Yes, he has conceded plenty of goals in recent matches, but it is not just his responsibility to keep the ball out of the net. His defence, particularly against Leeds, have not helped him at all with an individual mistake and a penalty leading to the goals conceded.

This week, Fulham had their shooting boots on, and he didn't make any catastrophic errors, which would leave you questioning why he was in the team. If he can manage to keep his behaviour on the pitch in check, particularly between now and Matchday 19, and continue to perform well, Donnarumma should no doubt be considered one of the signings of the summer.