Pep Guardiola's squad delivered a powerful opening assault, effectively settling the match in the first half with fast, precise football.

Antoine Semenyo (right) stretches to score the opening goal in Man City's 3-0 win over Fulham in round 26 of the Premier League at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England on 11/2. Reuters photo.

In the 24th minute, from Matheus Nunes' cross from the right wing, a Fulham defender fumbled the clearance, deflecting the ball directly in front of goal. Antoine Semenyo seized the opportunity, stretching to poke the ball past goalkeeper Bernd Leno and open the scoring, igniting the Etihad crowd.

Since the start of last season, Semenyo has contributed to seven goals against Fulham in the Premier League, scoring four and assisting three. In the same period, only Erling Haaland has a better record, contributing to eight goals against West Ham. The Ghanaian forward also became the first Man City player to score in both of his first two home Premier League matches of the season since Kevin De Bruyne in 10/2015, a milestone highlighting his growing influence in Guardiola's system.

Six minutes later, Man City doubled its lead with a clinical counter-attack. Haaland was fouled in midfield but managed to push the ball to Nico O'Reilly. The English player quickly combined with Semenyo on the left wing before entering the box and delicately chipping the ball over Leno.

In the 39th minute, the Etihad erupted once more. From a ball recovery in midfield, Man City transitioned rapidly. Rayan Ait-Nouri accelerated and passed to Phil Foden. The English midfielder immediately delivered a diagonal pass across the field to Haaland, just outside the penalty area. The Norwegian striker controlled the ball with one touch, shifted it to his left foot, and struck a low diagonal shot into the far corner, extending the lead to 3-0.

Erling Haaland (left) celebrates with Phil Foden. AFP photo.

In the second half, with a three-goal advantage, Man City slowed the tempo and allowed Fulham more possession. However, the visitors' efforts were limited to mere chances. Emile Smith Rowe and Kevin each had notable shots in the 47th and 69th minutes respectively, but both failed to beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who played a focused and solid game throughout. In the third minute of added time, Josh King squandered a final close-range opportunity, concluding a fruitless evening for Fulham at the Etihad.

The 3-0 result marked Man City's 20th consecutive win against Fulham across all competitions, the longest winning streak by any team against an opponent in English football history. Guardiola also maintained his perfect head-to-head record, winning all 17 encounters against Marco Silva, the longest perfect winning record against a manager faced at least 12 times in professional football history.

Crucially, the victory gives Man City 53 points, narrowing the gap to three points and putting significant pressure on Arsenal, who will visit Brentford today, 12/2. This weekend, Guardiola's team will again play at the Etihad, hosting Salford City in FA Cup round 4, with confidence soaring after a display of strength.

Hong Duy