After nearly surrendering a four-goal lead in a wild 5-4 victory, the Manchester City manager admits his team was just fighting for survival.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was left bewildered and relieved in equal measure after his team nearly collapsed in one of the Premier League’s most chaotic games, somehow escaping Fulham with a frantic 5-4 victory.
The match began as a celebration for Erling Haaland, who coolly netted his 100th Premier League goal in a record-shattering 111 games. With further strikes from Tijjani Reijnders, a Phil Foden double, and a deflected Jeremy Doku effort, City surged to a commanding 5-1 lead shortly after halftime. The contest appeared over.
Then, the unthinkable unfolded. Fulham, fueled by a roaring home crowd, launched an astonishing fightback. Alex Iwobi’s curler sparked belief before substitute Samuel Chukwueze stole the show, firing two sensational goals in six minutes to suddenly make it 5-4 with over 20 minutes still to play.
The final stages were pure panic. Fulham threw everything forward, and only a last-ditch goal-line clearance from Josko Gvardiol denied Josh King a historic equalizer. At the final whistle, City’s players looked more exhausted than victorious.
A shell-shocked Guardiola could only smile wryly when facing reporters. “Did you enjoy that, guys?” he asked. “Me? Impossible.”
Admitting he had no simple explanation for the meltdown, he said, “I know you’re going to ask what happened, and I don’t have an answer… It’s the Premier League. When that happens, it’s just a question of survival. Don’t tell me how, the players don’t know either.”
While the win cuts the gap to league leaders Arsenal to two points, the nature of the performance raised clear alarms about City’s title defense. “Arsenal are so strong and so solid,” Guardiola acknowledged, before vowing, “I promise you that I have enough experience to make long, long runs to try to fight to win the Premier League.”
Fulham manager Marco Silva praised his team’s remarkable spirit. “What they showed was impressive,” he said. “The reaction from the boys was unbelievable, and we probably deserved a fifth goal.”
For City, the three points are vital, but the memory of this surreal escape will linger as a stark warning. Haaland’s historic milestone, for one night at least, became a mere footnote in a tale of pure Premier League madness.
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