Pep’s full of praise for Silva battlers
THERE is a culture of not wanting the round thing when playing Manchester City. You can have that, we don’t want it. Particularly at the Etihad.
No domestic team to have turned up here this season had completed more than 200 first-half passes. Until Fulham, whose company in reaching that landmark is only Paris Saint-Germain in November. And PSG are quite handy.
This was in the balance for a half of engaging cup football, a half that suggested maybe there might be another way to plot against the country’s champions.
Fulham, five points clear at the top of the Championship, are primed to once again grace the same league as City. And to be honest, they showed up a fair few of those in the Premier League for a while yesterday. Chelsea and others might wish to take note.
Sure, this was a one-off cup tie and a bit of a free hit but Marco Silva has something with these players. Young and vibrant, they presented City with problems. ‘One of the things that I asked of the players was to show the courage to play the same way as we play in every stadium,’ Silva said. ‘The way we’re playing is the right way. We controlled the ball well. Our first half was really good.’
That they went ahead so early, inside four minutes, served as a bolt for their hosts but the tie never ran away until much later. A well-crafted, swift move and one showcasing why Silva has celebrated 74 league goals this campaign – far more than any other team in the land.
Aleksandar Mitrovic dropped off the front, invited a leggy Nathan Ake towards the halfway line, and turned a sharp ball inside Joao Cancelo for Harry Wilson to attack. In a muddle, Cancelo could only watch Wilson’s stab with the outside of his boot and the unmarked Fabio Carvalho netted.
Carvalho came through Fulham’s academy after being spotted at Balham as a child and is enjoying a breakthrough season in professional football that has brought admiring glances from Liverpool, who were left frustrated at the collapse of their pursuit on deadline day. The 19-year-old, possessing that menacing combination of tricks and directness, will have plenty of other options before the summer. Who knows, perhaps Pep Guardiola might yet be among them.
Fulham could not ride the incoming storm they themselves raged. City restored parity within two minutes courtesy of Ilkay Gundogan and were ahead after 13 minutes once John Stones headed in Kevin De Bruyne’s corner.
If it was not done then, the contest certainly was just before the hour. City came out from the break with renewed vigour and two Riyad Mahrez goals sent them safely into the fifth round.
‘If you don’t want to believe me, don’t, but I know exactly the team we beat,’ Guardiola said. ‘I’m not exaggerating. They monopolise the ball. They’ve scored the most in Europe because they’re really good. Marco has created an incredible team.’ Mahrez’s first was from the spot and owed everything to Jack Grealish, swaying past defenders on the edge of the box before Joe Bryan clattered into him. De Bruyne then broke and squared for Mahrez to find the far corner.
Mahrez is quietly heading for a staggering season, now with 15 strikes in all competitions, six ahead of any teammate. The changes came – City youngsters James McAtee and Liam Delap introduced to raucous receptions, the latter having a goal disallowed for offside – and it petered out, although not without Silva wondering what might have been.