Manchester City moved into the top two of the Premier League table courtesy of a 4-2 win over a spirited Fulham side at Craven Cottage this afternoon.
City took a two-goal lead into half time after Yaya Toure had broken the deadlock with a fine free kick and Vincent Kompany had doubled his side's lead just before the interval.
Fulham got a goal back through Kieran Richardson five minutes after the restart and then drew level with 20 minutes to go when Kompany sliced the ball over Joe Hart and into his own net.
However, the visitors responded with another two goals of their own in the final 15 minutes, with Jesus Navas restoring his side's lead before James Milner secured the three points.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at a thoroughly entertaining encounter in West London.
Match statistics:
Fulham:
Shots 12
On target 5
Possession 46%
Corners 4
Fouls 7
Manchester City:
Shots 17
On target 10
Possession 54%
Corners 4
Fouls 15
Was the result fair?
City may have just shaded the match stats, but a draw would have been a fair result this afternoon. Fulham matched their more illustrious opponents for much of the game and certainly deserved the equaliser when it came through Kompany's own goal. City did end the contest stronger, moving up a gear to ensure that they got all three points, but over the whole 90 minutes it was a pretty even encounter. City fans will argue that they deserved the win as they created more chances and were more clinical with them, and it is hard to deny that. However, Fulham's performance was packed with positives and they will be aggrieved at not having come away with a point, particularly after rallying from two goals down.
Fulham's performance
The scoreline may suggest otherwise, but Fulham's performance was very good today. Many teams, particularly those in and around where the Cottagers currently lie in the table, have been swept aside by City this season, but Fulham stood toe-to-toe with Manuel Pellegrini's side and gave as good as they got. It was similar to their 4-1 defeat against Everton last week in that they played well but still ended up on the losing side, having conceded four goals. That will be a concern for manager Rene Meulensteen as, even when they are putting in a good display, they seem to leak goals; however, there are plenty of positives for him to take from today's match.
Man City's performance
They still look like a different team away from home than they do at the Etihad Stadium, but the complaints can only be limited when you have scored four goals in a winning effort. City weren't at their best and the absences of Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta had an impact on the side, but they still looked very dangerous going forward and, even at 2-2 and with Fulham's good performance, it was hard to see them not finding a way to win the game. Pellegrini won't be happy with how his side initially blew a two-goal lead, but he will be pleased with how they responded to that and ultimately will have more positives than negatives to take out of this game.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Yaya Toure: It was a very even game this afternoon and one of the reasons for that was the tussle in midfield. Fulham's midfield, in particular Giorgios Karagounis, played really well, but Toure gets the award for yet another powerful display in the middle of the park. It also doesn't hurt that he scored a sublime free kick that could not have been better placed in the top corner.
Biggest gaffe
There can be only one winner here - Vincent Kompany's own goal. Having already scored at the right end, the City skipper helped Fulham to their equaliser with a horribly sliced clearance that looped over the helpless Joe Hart and into the back of the net. It was an uncharacteristic error from Kompany, but there is no doubt that it was a calamitous own goal that handed Fulham a lifeline.
Referee performance
Kevin Friend had a quiet game this afternoon. There weren't any huge decisions to be made and he only got his yellow card out on two occasions, which is an indicator of the type of match this was. All in all, things went very smoothly for the officials.
What next?
Fulham: Fulham's next match sees them travel to Carrow Road to take on Norwich City on Boxing Day.
Man City: City are also in action on Boxing Day as the league's top two sides go head-to-head in a mouth-watering match against Liverpool.
Barney Corkhill
