EPL: Alvarez, Haaland Score As Man City Finally Topple Arsenal At The Top!

City defeated Fulham on Sunday to go above Arsenal by a point, with a game in hand

Manchester City have climbed to the top of the English Premier League table after a hard-fought 2-1 away win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.

With the victory, City have toppled Arsenal Gunners to lead the EPL table by a point since 17 February and still with a game in hand.

Manchester City thus go top of the Premier League for the first time since February 17.

Pep Guardiola’s men were pushed until the end by Fulham, who stuck doggedly with the in-form champions throughout the match.

Argentina’s World Cup winner Julian Alvarez was the City protagonist. He won the penalty through which Erling Haaland netted his 50th goal in a quite stupendous season and also scored the winner with an outrageous attempt from outside the box on the cusp of half-time.

Pep Guardiola named a side shorn of both Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, who had performed admirably in the 4-1 over Arsenal and in came both Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez.

City were the team on the ascendancy from the start and they won a penalty as early as the second minute after Tim Ream’s clumsy tackle on Alvarez.

Haaland stepped up and sent the ball to the left side of Bernd Leno’s post to give the treble-chasing City side the lead. It was in keeping with history as Fulham have never kept a clean sheet against City in the league.

But Fulham stunned City with an unlikely equaliser in the 15th minute. Andreas Pereira played a long ball into the box, and Harry Wilson, who had made a run across the blind side of Manuel Akanji, nodded down the ball into the path of Carlos Vinicius, who controlled and smashed his shot past Ederson.

City were stunned and Fulham became more buoyant and assured on the ball though City could have gone ahead after Alvarez robbed Ream of the ball but Palhinha made a goal-saving tackle to keep the game at 1-1.

Ream, injured in the action, went off for Issa Diop in the 22nd minute. Haaland had another half chance in the 26th minute but Tosin Adarabioyo ushered out the danger.

But City took the lead in the 36th minute. After receiving a pass from Mahrez, Alvarez did well to protect and pirouette away from a lunging Palhinha before producing an outrageous effort into the corner of the net.

The second half was more of the same as Fulham were resolute in defence and ready to pounce on any City mistake. Jack Grealish was almost on the score sheet two minutes into the second stanza but Leno diverted his attempt against the crossbar. Leno was forced into another save from Alvarez in the 51st minute as City sought a bigger winning margin.

Pereira and Akanji clashed heads and the game had to be stopped for some minutes. There was a flashpoint between Grealish and Tete and both had to be cooled down with Yellow cards.

Eight minutes were added on but City played out the game in the Fulham half to leap above Arsenal as they chase a third consecutive EPL title.

The game finished in tense fashion, but City are back at the summit of the Premier League – a point ahead of the Gunners having played a game fewer