Summary: City made it three straight away wins by seizing upon Fulham’s mistakes and taking their chances when they came. The win saw City get to the 40 point mark that is seen to be so important, and we are now unbeaten in four league games.
Team news: DaMarcus Beasley replaced Stephen Ireland in the only change to the side that started on Friday night, it remained to be seen if City go 4-4-2, or 4-1-4-1 with Sun Jihai playing the holding role in front of the back four.
The Match
The home side looked livelier early on, with Simon Davies firing the day’s first shot just wide of City’s right hand post after seven minutes.
City responded with a couple of corners before Isaksson palmed over a volleyed, long-range effort from Smertin on 17 minutes.
But three minutes later City took the lead! Fulham dithered out near the touchline and Mpenza fed the ball into Joey Barton, who made space to his right and rolled the ball into the bottom corner beyond Niemi’s right hand.
Fulham had the better of the next passage of play until City doubled the lead with nine minutes to the break! Michael Johnson fed Barton, who looked up to see DaMarcus Beasley racing into the box. The American latched onto his pass and flicked the ball across Niemi to send the City fans, down at the opposite end, into ecstasy.
Fulham’s Finnish goalkeeper kept the score at 2-0 just a couple of minutes later, tipping a thumping Nedum Onuoha header over his bar from a free kick, the City defender still yet to open his account for the Blues.
Half time came with the sound of Fulham being booed off by a section of their supporters.
Rosenior had Isaksson pushing a cross away just after the break, and he followed it up with a shot over the bar seconds later. The home side had started the second half better, and McBride was pulled up for a touch on Isaksson as Fulham looked to get more crosses into City’s area.
Fulham brought on Montella and Radzinski as they sought to claw their way back, the players announced onto the pitch by one of the Premiership’s less audible PA systems.
But the substitutions were forgotten when City went even further ahead on on 58 minutes. Rosenior made a hash of trying to block Mpenza’s pass, and Darius Vassell raced into the box to place the ball to the left of Niemi for his first goal since January’s cup tie at home to Southampton, and his first in the league since Villa in November.
Onuoha whipped in a good cross to Mpenza just afterwards, the Belgian’s header bringing a good save out of Fulham’s Finnish stopper, who did not know that the offside flag was up.
But with 14 minutes to go, Fulham threw themselves a lifeline. At a corner, Carlos Bocanegra rose at the near post to power a header past Isaksson, rousing the home fans into life at last.
Their team responded by camping out in City’s half, with Radzinski seemingly clear at one point but edged away from danger. City broke away once towards Sinclair, but the substitute could not force a shot at Niemi.
Dunne made a great block to deny Volz as we entered stoppage time, but that was the sole alarm as City gained their first win at Craven Cottage since 1967 to the delight of the travelling support, who left to the sound of the home side being booed off by their own fans.
