Haaland reaches historic milestone as Manchester City cruise past Fulham

City dominate early to cut Arsenal’s title lead

Manchester City delivered a commanding first-half performance to defeat Fulham 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium, with Erling Haaland reaching another historic milestone in the process.

Pep Guardiola’s side wrapped up the victory before halftime, trimming Arsenal’s Premier League lead at the top of the table to just three points and strengthening their title challenge.

Semenyo continues red-hot form to open scoring

City controlled possession from the start and created early chances through Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly as Fulham struggled to cope with the hosts’ relentless attacking pressure.

The breakthrough came in the 24th minute when Matheus Nunes delivered a precise cross into the penalty area. Haaland expertly headed the ball down for Antoine Semenyo, who reacted quickest to slide the ball past Bernd Leno.

The goal continued Semenyo’s impressive run since joining City, marking his fifth goal in eight appearances and his third against Fulham this season.

O’Reilly doubles the lead after Fulham mistake

Fulham briefly threatened when Harry Wilson forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a strong save, but City responded immediately with another dangerous counterattack.

Semenyo played a key role again, driving forward before finding Nico O’Reilly, who showed great composure to lift his finish over Leno and double City’s advantage midway through the first half.

The visitors’ defensive struggles and repeated turnovers allowed City to maintain complete control of the match.

Haaland reaches City scoring landmark

City added a third goal before halftime after another Fulham error in possession. Rayan Aït-Nouri and Foden combined to set up Haaland on the edge of the box, and the Norwegian striker powered a clinical finish into the bottom corner.

The goal marked Haaland’s 153rd for Manchester City, moving him level with club legend Colin Bell on the club’s all-time scoring list. Remarkably, Haaland reached the milestone in just 183 appearances, compared to Bell’s 492 matches.

Having effectively sealed the result, Haaland was substituted at halftime as Guardiola managed his squad for upcoming fixtures.

City comfortably manage second half as Fulham struggle to respond

With the game decided early, City reduced their attacking intensity after the break while Fulham attempted to find a way back into the contest.

Wilson produced a lively attacking moment for the visitors, and substitute Josh King later tested Donnarumma, but Fulham never looked capable of staging a comeback.

City, meanwhile, controlled the tempo and secured a comfortable victory to maintain strong momentum in the title race.