Manchester City narrowly defeated Fulham 5-4 in the Premier League, closing the gap to just two points behind table-toppers Arsenal. Pep Guardiola’s team were comfortably leading 5-1 in the second half but ended up clinging on for dear life in a second-half implosion they just about got away with.

Erling Haaland put the Blues ahead early on with his 100th Premier League goal, and further goals from Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden extended their lead. Emile Smith-Rowe pulled one back before the break, but two quickfire City goals after half-time seemed to have sealed the deal. However, Fulham fought back and City struggled to respond, barely holding on to secure a crucial three points. Here are our player ratings…

Donnarumma: Made some decent saves and couldn’t do much about the shots that beat him, but he won’t be pleased with four goals conceded. 6.

Nunes: Keen to bomb down the right and join in attacks with Foden and Silva. 5.

Dias: Caught out more than once playing Fulham players onside for one of their goals in a late City wobble. 6.

Gvardiol: Showed a lack of effort at times in the second half, giving the home side and their fans something to cheer about, and was caught out of position. 5.

O’Reilly: Impressive going forward but went AWOL a few times defensively when needed. 5.

Gonzalez: Positioned himself well to shield the defence and was substituted before the mayhem ensued. 7.

Silva: Incurred the ire of Dias after failing to mark Chukwueze for Fulham’s third goal, seemed to lose control of the game. 6.

Foden: Once again exceptional, taking charge on the pitch and netting two superb goals. 8.

Reijnders: Scored a fantastic goal and contributed well to City’s fourth, although he appeared to tire as Fulham ended strongly. 7.

Doku: A neat assist for the opening goal, deserved his fortune for the fifth and was substituted before Fulham’s comeback truly kicked off. 8.

Haaland: A record-setting goal, two assists, battled with the Fulham defence throughout the match and could have easily added another couple of goals in a return to form. 8.

Substitutes

Savinho (for Doku, 64) Delivered a beautiful cross for Haaland but needed to provide more support to O’Reilly. 5.

Stones (for Gonzalez, 64) Brought on to stabilise the game but struggled. 5.

Cherki (for Reijnders, 82) Kept possession well. 6.

Ake (for Foden, 97) No time to make an impact.

Not used: Trafford, Ait-Nouri, Khusanov, Lewis.