Omar Marmoush rubbish, Ilkay Gundogan superb – Manchester City ratings v Fulham
Manchester City successfully booked their spot in the Champions League with a 2-0 triumph over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Pep Guardiola’s men have dropped well below their usual standards this term, which was epitomised by their defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.
But the Etihad giants successfully bounced back from their Wembley setback by defeating Bournemouth 3-1 on Tuesday, 20 May.
Man City then showed their class once more with a final day victory in West London, which ensured they finished third in the Premier League despite suffering nine defeats in the top flight.
Ilkay Gundogan settled the nerves for the North West outfit when he acrobatically provided the finishing touch to Matheus Nunes’ cross before Erling Haaland made sure of the three points in the second half with a penalty.
Man City player ratings v Fulham
Ederson – 7
The Brazil international was rarely troubled by Fulham, but deserves credit for maintaining his concentration when he needed to, and did well to keep out Harry Wilson’s testing effort.
Matheus Nunes – 8
A brilliant afternoon’s work for the Portugal international who defended well when called upon and deserved to see his cross finished in spectacular fashion by Gundogan after Bernd Leno got his hand to it. Did well to outmuscle Wilson and prevent the hosts from creating an opportunity to score early in the second half, although his defensive intervention caused the Wales international to appeal for a penalty.
Ruben Dias – 6
Ruben Dias performed effectively to ensure that Fulham forward Raul Jimenez had a quiet afternoon in the Craven Cottage sunshine. Dias also provided his usual calmness when in possession, but was arguably lucky not to concede late on when he appeared to handle the ball.
Manuel Akanji – 6
Manuel Akanji had a similarly solid afternoon to his defensive partner, but Dias’ work on the ball outshone that of the 29-year-old.
Matheus Nunes ends on a high
Josko Gvardiol- 5
Josko Gvardiol was lucky to see Ederson get a strong hand to Wilson’s threatening shot after he left the Welshman unmarked. Other than that, the former Leipzig man had good game and got forward well occasionally.
Bernardo Silva – 6
The Portugal star played in a deeper midfield role alongside Nico Gonzalez, and helped keep the Fulham attack at bay. Bernardo Silva lacked his usual threat going forwards, but that was predominantly due to the position he was fielded in.
Nico Gonzalez – 7
A quietly successful afternoon from Nico Gonzalez, who ensured that City did not miss the presence of his fellow Spaniard Rodri.
Omar Marmoush – 3
A disappointing afternoon for Omar Marmoush who failed to demonstrate his usual long-range threat when he blazed a freekick over the crossbar before directing a cross harmlessly into Leno’s clutches.
Although Guardiola’s side won 2-0, they were not as clinical as they could have been, and Marmoush was largely responsible for that.
Kevin De Bruyne bows out
Ilkay Gundogan – 9 – Player of the Match
Rolled back the years. Gundogan has proven himself as City’s final day hero in years gone by, and Sunday’s visit to Fulham proved to be no different from the 34-year-old who scored a stunning goal.
The midfielder also drew the foul from Sasa Lukic that earned Guardiola’s men the penalty that Haaland tucked away to ensure a vital three points travelled back to the North West.
Jeremy Doku – 5
Like Marmoush, Jeremy Doku did not perform well in the final third for a City outfit who largely failed to threaten out wide as effectively as they could have done.
Erling Haaland – 7
The Norwegian hotshot had a poor afternoon before scoring the penalty which sealed the win for the Etihad outfit.
Haaland will be disappointed that he didn’t direct a header goal-wards following Gundogan’s set-piece, but his effort from 12 yards ultimately made up for it.
| Erling Haaland stats | Premier League 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 31 |
| Goals | 22 |
| Assists | 3 |
Substitutes
Savinho (for Doku, 74) – 5
Looked lively in glimpses, but failed to make an impact in the final third.
Phil Foden (for Marmoush, 82) – 5
Kevin De Bruyne (for Gundogan, 85) – 5
A lack of minutes meant that Kevin De Bruyne’s remarkable Man City career did not finish with a fairytale goal, although the Belgian was given a great reception by the away end throughout the game.
Claudio Echeverri (for Haaland, 85) – 5