MANCHESTER CITY moved to the top of the Premier League prior to Liverpool’s match against Tottenham yesterday with an easy win at Craven Cottage. 

First-half goals from Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero, following catastrophic defensive mistakes from Fulham, saw the home side register their eighth successive defeat.

City manager Pep Guardiola said he had doubts about the game, despite the teams being at opposite ends of the table.

“It seemed like it would be a tricky game for us, it was after the international break, a sunny day and players could have been complacent looking at the table.”

From the start, his charges were at the races. They peppered Fulham’s goal with shots and dominated the ball. Within five minutes they were ahead. 

“The first 20 minutes were incredible,” the Spaniard purred. “The game was under control.”

Fulham were missing their talismanic striker Aleksandar Mitrovic through a stomach injury. The home side were toothless in attack in his absence, rarely threatening. When they did shoot, it was not at Ederson. 

For the first time in more than eight years, Fulham played at home without officially registering a shot on target. They lacked ideas.

“At times it was difficult,” said Scott Parker, a manager who has only sampled defeats after a month at the helm. “There was a risk in the way we set up and wanted to play.”

Guardiola would have been watching to see if Tottenham did his team a favour at Anfield yesterday evening, otherwise they will have to win again at Cardiff on Wednesday to return to the top of the tree.

Nonetheless, Pep is relishing this challenge. The Spaniard thinks Liverpool’s presence may help his charges achieve an unprecedented treble — it’s easier to stay focussed when they are not 10 points clear. 

“Every game we have to win. There is no rest. We have seven games in the league, we have to win them all, that’s the position we are in. And that may help us in the FA Cup and Champions League. You lose and you drop a competition.”

For Pep, he knows he’s unlikely to meet another team as accommodating as Fulham for the remainder of this season.