Mark Hughes' Fulham were no match for Manchester City at Craven Cottage as the visitors delivered a commanding 4-1 victory.
Tevez inspires decisive City win
Mark Hughes' Fulham were no match for Manchester City at Craven Cottage as the visitors delivered a commanding 4-1 victory.
Former City boss Hughes, facing his old side for the first time since his sacking at Eastlands last December, no doubt had revenge on his mind as his former club travelled to the capital on Sunday evening.
But the Blues more than proved their strength in attack, easing the pressure on Hughes' successor Roberto Mancini as they ran out their first win in three games.
Striking ace Carlos Tevez notched a decisive double for City, sandwiching goals from Pablo Zabaleta and Yaya Toure in the first-half.
Tevez capitalised on poor defending from Carlos Salcido to fire home the opener in just the sixth minute, before Zabaleta fired in an effort from long-range and Toure, fed by some more good work from Tevez, added another just three minutes later.
Substitute Zoltan Gera pulled one back for the Cottagers twenty minutes from time, but it was no more than a consolation strike as City took home the crucial three points.
Controversy
Hughes said all the right things in the build-up to his first encounter with City since he was controversially dumped in favour of Mancini last December but his desperation to win must have been huge. After all, five of the City team were his signings, compared to just one in his own.
It is Tevez though who remains City's stellar buy of the Abu Dhabi era. And it took the South American just five minutes to show why.
On the shoulder of Carlos Salcido, Tevez collected Gareth Barry's pass perfectly, allowing him to roll the defender, expertly using his body weight, and then drill a low shot beyond Mark Schwarzer.
Such is the success City tend to enjoy when Tevez score, Hughes must have feared the worst. Had Aleksandar Kolarov showed a similarly clinical instinct when he nipped past Damien Duff after David Silva had found him with a delicate chipped pass on a lightning break forward, the contest would have been over before it eventually was.
The wait was only a couple of minutes though. The culprit Duff, whose scuffed clearance to a low Silva cross rolled perfectly for Zabaleta.
In front of watching Argentina legend Diego Maradona, Zabaleta must have impressed his fellow countryman with the ferocity of his strike, which flew into the corner.
If Tevez was the stand-out signing of Hughes' time in charge, Toure is Mancini's signature transfer.
The wages, estimated at £220,000, are still so colossal they can scarcely be believed. The figure trotted out with every ineffective display.
Yet Toure goes about his work in an understated way.
Fine style
The Ivorian did not really dominate proceedings here but overlapping to Tevez's right to collect a pass that continued a move Jo and Silva had started, he finished in fine style, more or less in exactly the same spot as the first City goal ended up in.
A brief flurry which coincided with Zoltan Gera's half-time introduction raised hopes of a Fulham face-saving mission.
Sadly for Hughes and his players it turned out to be an illusion.
Tevez really should have squared to provide an unmarked Jo with a tap-in after he had burst clear of the home defence.
Instead he allowed Schwarzer to make the save, conceding the corner from which he was to profit as, with his back to goal, he stuck out a foot to send Zabaleta's 20-yard drive looping into the Fulham net for his 10th goal of the season.
There was no way back for the hosts, who did gain some consolation thanks to Gera.
But Hughes and his team are now in a relegation scrap and he can only watch as City challenge for the major honours.
| Fulham |
Team Statistics |
Manchester City |
| 1 |
Goals |
4 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
3 |
| 2 |
Shots on Target |
6 |
| 9 |
Shots off Target |
3 |
| 4 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 7 |
Corners |
7 |
| 15 |
Fouls |
17 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
3 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 74.3 |
Passing Success |
85.1 |
| 19 |
Tackles |
21 |
| 89.5 |
Tackles Success |
57.1 |
| 45.3 |
Possession |
54.7 |
| 54.2 |
Territorial Advantage |
45.8 |
|
