4 days ago
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Erling Haaland was locked in, eyes on the ball as it made its way towards him in the centre of the box. He swung that hammer of a left foot at it, then stopped to admire it thumping into the back of the net as Rory McIlroy would after flushing a drive.
Manchester City's No.9 turned and raised his arms to the heavens as the rain poured down at Craven Cottage, some biblical weather to match the legend stood before them. Haaland could be playing his football wherever he wants in the world - sunning himself in Spain, taking unprecedented money in Saudi - but there is something about him smashing in a record-breaking 100th Premier League goal while being pounded by rain in December that was fitting.
Haaland has loved English football since he was born in Leeds while his dad Alfie played in the top flight, and his love for City and this league saw him sign a deal that could see him here for 12 years in total. Judging by the way his teammates came to congratulate him and the away end sang his name, the feelings are mutual.
Few saw Haaland getting to 100 Premier League goals precisely because he wasn't expected to be in the league for long, but from the start he has always been prepared to roll his sleeves up and get stuck in. He has also scored at an outrageous rate from the very beginning when he bagged a brace in his opening league game at West Ham.
It was what came after the opener at Fulham that will have delighted City even more though. With the home team threatening to come back into the game, the 25-year-old produced a perfect bit of centre-forward play to win a ball, hold off his defender, and play a sumptuous through ball through for Tijjani Reijnders to add a second; he arrived at City as the best finisher in world football but the improvement to his all-round game this season has been marked.
Phil Foden could not have done better, and Foden is nearing new heights as he continues to thrive in the new role and freedom he has this season. Having been the conductor of City's engine in the first half, he picked his spot when Bernd Leno punched a corner straight to him to add a third goal in four days.
That should have been the story: Haaland's night, with Foden conducting a band that will need both stars in fine tune for the rest of the season if they want to catch Arsenal. Scoring five goals away from home is some statement.
Unfortunately for Guardiola, by the end of eight exhausting minutes of injury time most of the talk was instead of another City collapse. Conceding three unanswered goals to nearly blow a four-goal lead was, just like they had been against Leeds, needless and unnecessary.
From a position of supreme control, City again ended ragged and frantic as Fulham went close to one of the all-time Premier League comebacks on a barmy night in West London. Having showed their good, this descended once more into not just bad but ugly.
City got the points, the Haaland goal, and the Foden performance that they wanted from this latest test of their Premier League title credentials. And yet, as a desperate Josko Gvardiol clearance prevented a Fulham leveller in the 98th minute, the talking points will linger on what went wrong at the other end.
Foden puffed out his lips at full-time, Guardiola went to tell Savinho a few things, Haaland laughed in relief. You don't quite know what you're going to get with City at the minute, but it remains incredibly fun.
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