Football Features

    Man City 4-0 Fulham: Every player rated as Ream sees red and Jesus extends FA Cup record

    By Oliver Young-Myles

    Published: 15:00, 26 January 2020

    Manchester City cruised through to the FA Cup 5th round by thrashing ten-man Fulham 4-0 at the Etihad.

    İlkay Gündoğan gave City an early lead from the penalty spot on eight minutes after Tim Ream was sent off for a foul on Gabriel Jesus before Bernardo Silva doubled the advantage soon after.

    Jesus added gloss to the scoreline when he scored a couple of headers in the final 20 minutes as Fulham contributed towards their own downfall by gifting possession to their hosts.

    Here’s how the players rated at the Etihad.

    Manchester City

    Claudio Bravo – 6 – Only had one save to make and did so comfortably. Distributed the ball well, completing 88% of his passes. An easy afternoon for the Chilean.

    João Cancelo – 7 – Had little to do defensively given Fulham’s one-man disadvantage which allowed him to focus on attacking. Held his position high and wide up the pitch which freed up space for Riyad Mahrez to occupy a more central area. Grabbed an assist with a delightful cross for Jesus.

    Eric García – 6 – Similarly to Phil Foden, Eric Garcia is being eased gently into first-team football by Pep Guardiola with his appearances coming predominantly in cup competitions against lower league opposition. Untroubled defensively and passed the ball out confidently from the back.

    Nicolás Otamendi – 6 – Coped well with Fulham’s admittedly limited attacking threat. Went agonisingly close to completing 100% of his passes, managing 53/54 (98%) prior to his substitution with a quarter of an hour remaining.

    Angeliño – 6 – Found himself virtually playing as a left-winger after the sending off. Picked up some promising positions in the final third but his delivery into the box was inconsistent.

    İlkay Gündoğan – 6 – Netted his fifth goal of the season with a well-taken penalty to give City an early lead and marshalled things in midfield. Completed the second-highest number of passes on the pitch despite coming off a quarter of an hour before full-time.

    David Silva – 8 – Wasn’t too involved in City’s decisive moments but as ever, it was a joy to behold his silky touches. Led City’s press and caught out Fulham’s defenders a couple of times on the edge of their own box. How City will miss El Mago when he’s gone.

    Phil Foden – 6 – Spurned a good opportunity to make it 3-0 when he spooned an effort over the top from Angeliño’s cut-back and wasn’t as comfortable playing on the left-wing as he is in the middle. Grew into the game but was unable to get a goal.

    Bernardo Silva – 8 – Scored a wonderful goal against Manchester United earlier this month after cutting onto his favoured left foot on the right and did so again here, arrowing a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Had more touches (101) and completed more passes (95) than any other player on the pitch.

    Riyad Mahrez – 7 – Has been one of City’s best performers in recent weeks and was in menacing form again, tormenting Fulham’s left-hand side early on. Received a hefty whack from Joe Bryan towards the end of the first half and was taken off early in the second period.

    Gabriel Jesus – 8 – Showed good movement and speed to burst past Ream into the penalty area and then strength to hold him off to earn a penalty for his side. Finally got his goal on 72 minutes with an excellent downwards header and nodded a second in three minutes later after Foden’s shot was parried into his path. The Brazilian has now scored seven goals in eight FA Cup outings.

    Substitutes:

    Raheem Sterling (for Riyad Mahrez 53′) – 6 – Surprisingly summoned from the bench early in the second half with the game all but wrapped up. Rattled the crossbar with his first sighting of goal.

    John Stones (for Nicolás Otamendi 74′) – 5 – Given a run-out late on to build his fitness levels.

    Rodri (for İlkay Gündoğan 75′) – 5 – Brought on late on to see the game out.

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    Fulham

    Marek Rodák – 5 – Made an excellent save low down to his right to deny Mahrez early on but was visibly disappointed at failing to get a stronger hand on Silva’s effort, which eventually nestled in the bottom corner.

    Cyrus Christie – 5 – Coped pretty well with Foden on the flank and offered Fulham width on the right wing.

    Michael Hector – 6 – Having finally become a Fulham player at the start of the month after his protracted move from Chelsea was completed, the centre-back got another game under his belt and looked solid for the most part.

    Tim Ream – 1 – Made a nervy start after being dispossessed by David Silva just outside his penalty area in the opening moments and then clumsily bundled over Jesus for a penalty just six minutes in to earn a red card. The stuff of nightmares for the Fulham skipper.

    Terence Kongolo – 5 – Made his Fulham debut after joining on loan from Huddersfield Town last week, the Dutchman largely acquitted himself well and made a brilliant last-ditch sliding tackle to deny Jesus a certain goal on the hour-mark. Was partially at fault for City’s third after losing the ball, though.

    Joe Bryan – 5 – Linked with a move to Watford and Southampton during the transfer window, the wing-back was booked for a cynical challenge on Mahrez. Otherwise performed reasonably well considering he was up against Mahrez and then Sterling.

    Steven Sessegnon – 6 – Played out of position in central midfield and considering the circumstances performed an admirable job in front of the back four. A good learning experience for the teenager.

    Stefan Johansen – 5 – Neat and tidy in possession but was unable to apply significant pressure to his midfield counterparts in sky blue. Made a couple of fouls but escaped his customary booking.

    Josh Onomah – 5 – Worked hard and looked to use his energy to spring his side forward on the counter-attack.

    Ivan Cavaleiro – 5 – Isolated up front, Fulham’s commitment to trying to play out from the back didn’t really suit Ivan Cavaleiro who was looking to play on the shoulder of City’s defence. Brought off to be kept fresh for Fulham’s promotion push.

    Bobby Decordova-Reid – 5 – Had Fulham’s first meaningful chance of the game but failed to seriously test Claudio Bravo with a snapshot from an acute angle. Otherwise had no service to feed off.

    Substitutes: 

    Tom Cairney (for Ivan Caveleiro 66′) – 5 – Rested beforehand. Brought on to allow Cavaleiro a rest and didn’t see much of the ball during his time on the pitch.

    Denis Odoi (for Bobby Decordova-Reid 76′) – 5 – Thrown on by Scott Parker shortly after Jesus’ quickfire double in an attempt to prevent the scoreline spiralling out of control.

    Sylvester Jasper (for Terence Kongolo 83′) – N/A – Handed his Fulham debut late on.

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