Fulham 2 – 4 MAN CITY – MY THOUGHTS

It says a great deal about the attacking quality that courses through our squad that we can score four goals on the road and pick up three crucial points despite an uncertain and sloppy performance. This was a City display that lacked the control and flowing style with which we are normally spoilt and yet we still drove to victory and entertained in the process.

Fulham were enterprising hosts. They played with purpose and intelligence, managing to restrict our fluency in possession and they will feel aggrieved not to have taken a point. They took advantage of their extra man in midfield as Manuel Pellegrini surprisingly opted to play Edin Dzeko alongside Alvaro Negredo as opposed to include an extra body in the middle. These days, however, we don’t need to click for 90 minutes. It is enthralling when we do and that has led to some mesmeric encounters at the Etihad Stadium, but we possess such ability in advanced areas that even sporadic moments of brilliance will guide us to victory.

On Saturday, we never truly convinced. There were spells when we threatened but it was a somewhat disjointed display that lacked spark and intent. And we still managed to score four. That points to a resilience and determination to back up the aesthetic beauty and those characteristics can only benefit the Blues as we strive to reclaim the Premier League title.

David Silva was a case in point. His quality is indubitable and he’s our best player when on form, but he struggled against Fulham to combine his admirable workrate with an end product. His final touch, normally so intricate and full of guile, was lacking. Yet he never shirked the limelight, kept plugging away and he was rewarded late on as he was the creative force behind City’s vital third goal and then played a key role in the clinical fourth. And that pass from Alvaro Negredo to James Milner should be drooled over for months to come.

One player who won’t attract much of the spotlight, unless you’re Alan Hansen and want to bizarrely focus on the very occasional missed interception, was Martin Demichelis. Many ridiculed his signing, citing his age and lack of pace, but Manuel Pellegrini knew his character and quality and the Argentinean has settled in impressively at the club. He’s a leader on the pitch, driving us forward with his positivity on the ball and organisation, and he was a strong, authoritative figure on Saturday. Fulham were sprightly in attack, but Demichelis anticipated danger, made clearance after clearance and was a dominant presence. Yes, he lacks a yard or two of pace, but he reads the game a second quicker than most and that enables him to never become isolated. He’s now played with three different central defensive partners and has operated on both sides of the back two. As a deputy, replacing those on the sidelines, he has been an excellent acquisition.

Missing a number of key players, yesterday’s victory was an important one. When Fulham equalised following Vincent Kompany’s extraordinary – and, we can say now, amusing – blooper, City could have folded. Another away lead had been thrown away and momentum had swung towards the home side’s direction, but there was plenty of spirit and fight displayed by the Blues. Of course, it would be great if we were less fragile defensively, and it’s unlikely we will continue to score goals galore every game, but we were resilient enough and produced two moments of clinical excellence to secure the three points.

That doggedness and focused attitude will delight the manager. Tougher tasks lie ahead and although we haven’t yet fully convinced on the road, recent results have improved markedly and we carry on gliding towards the top of the table.

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