Manchester City 2-0 Fulham: 5 Talking points as Sterling and De Bruyne's first-half goals take City to the top five | Premier League 2020-21
Manchester City recorded back-to-back wins for the first time in the Premier League this season as they comfortably saw off 17th-placed Fulham at the Etihad Stadium.
First-half goals from Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne set the tone for Manchester City as the four-time champions moved to the top five of the 2020-21 Premier League table.
Raheem Sterling converted a perfectly-weighted De Bruyne delivery to help Manchester City take the lead. In the 25th minute, Sterling returned the favour and earned a penalty, which De Bruyne dispatched with aplomb to double Manchester City's lead on the night.
Pep Guardiola's side maintained their impressive form from their 5-0 win last time around with a commanding performance in the first half. However, Fulham managed to hold their own in the second half and were indebted to their goalkeeper Alphonse Areola for keeping Manchester City quiet.
On that note, let us take a look at the five major talking points from the game.
#5 Manchester City rediscover their mojo
It took Manchester City just five minutes to break the deadlock through Raheem Sterling, with De Bruyne displaying impressive presence of mind to help create the opportunity.
It was a typical Manchester City performance against Fulham. They dominated possession, pushed high up the opposition half, operated through quick, short and accurate exchanges in the final third. Manchester City had as many as ten attempts on goal before the break itself, with five of them being on target.
A kind run of fixtures - Burnley last weekend and Fulham this week - have helped Manchester City get their season back on track ahead of the Manchester Derby next Saturday.
#4 The 4-2-3-1 formation seems to be working well for Manchester City
In the absence of his regular No. 9 Sergio Aguero, Pep Guardiola employed the 4-2-3-1 formation with decent success.
Given how their last two games have panned out in the Premier League in this formation, Manchester City reaped the dividends against Fulham too.
In this formation, two defensive midfielders and two wide players up front allows for a fluid system in which not only the striker but Sterling and Mahrez also find themselves in the thick of things in the final third. Sterling, unsurprisingly, was involved in both Manchester City goals on the night.
This system also relieves De Bruyne of some of his defensive duties, something that has allowed the Belgian to pick up three assists in his last two games for Manchester City.
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