Sergio Aguero shrugged off recent signs of tiredness
to turn in a man-of-the-match display as Manchester
City defeated Fulham to open up a three-point lead at
the top of the Premier League.
• Johnson: Pressure back on Man Utd
Aguero drove home his 19th goal of the season from
the penalty spot, then set up strike partner Edin Dzeko
with some unselfish work after half-time.
Between them, the pair have scored 35 times this season,
making a mockery of recent assertions that the pair
have difficulty operating in tandem.
And with Chris Baird turning Adam Johnson's cross into
his own net, City were not hindered by the wintry conditions
that even left the fans to chant for the end long before
the five minutes' injury-time had been completed.
The old cliche of there being no easy games in the
Premier League could have been made for a day like this.
In theory, 30 points clear of their visitors and boasting
a 100% record on home soil this term, it should have
been a straightforward assignment.
Yet significant questions were asked of City before
kick-off.
In sub-zero temperatures and with snow getting increasingly
heavy, the Blues were without skipper Vincent Kompany
due to a knee injury, on a run of just three wins from
their last nine games, and facing a team who had lost
on just one of their eight visits to this stadium and
battled back to draw at Craven Cottage in September
despite being two goals down.
The evidence of the opening stages suggested it was
going to be one of those difficult evenings, with Fulham
intent on keeping their defences tight and relying on
the predatory instincts of Clint Dempsey.
City needed a helping hand, and referee Mike Dean provided
it.
Fooled completely by Johnson initiating contact with
Baird inside the box, Dean pointed to the spot when
a yellow card for the City man could easily have been
the correct decision.
Aguero, five matches without a goal - his worst run
since joining City - converted to the corner despite
the returning Mark Schwarzer going the right way.
Fate had not finished for City.
For when Aguero flicked Aleksandar Kolarov's cross
into the path of Johnson, Baird got in the way as the
winger turned it back towards the danger area, giving
Schwarzer no chance of keeping it out.
Now the damage was done, which meant it did not matter
much that Schwarzer's lightning reactions prevented
Philippe Senderos scoring a second own goal, nor that
David Silva got a legitimate penalty after he had his
legs taken away by City old boy Dickson Etuhu.
Aside from Damien Duff's angled drive, Fulham offered
little and the game would have been over had it not
been for the bravery of Brede Hangeland, who threw himself
in the way of a goalbound Edin Dzeko strike.
The value of City's first-half efforts were not fully
apparent until the second had reached its midway stage,
with the snow becoming steadily heavier.
Twice Dean had to stop play for the lines to be swept,
Senderos was booked for crashing into Kolarov with a
tackle that owed something of its recklessness to the
underfoot conditions, and neither side could get any
flow into their game.
Baird had a free-kick gathered by Joe Hart, who has
been mentioned in some quarters as a potential England
skipper for Euro 2012 following John Terry's demotion.
With defending proving increasingly difficult, Aguero's
nimble feet carried him into the area and past two half-hearted
attempts at tackles.
It was a measure of the striker's awareness that instead
of going for goal himself, he rolled the ball to an
unmarked Dzeko, who finished with ease.
After a spate of disciplinary problems, City got away
with one when Kolarov, about to be booked for hauling
back Mousa Dembele, became engaged in a head-to-head
duel with the Fulham man.
Dembele was booked but Kolarov escaped with a lecture
in addition to the yellow card he would have received
anyway.
The visitors hit the post when a cross-shot from substitute
Bryan Ruiz flicked off Dzeko and then the woodwork before
rolling to safety.
But the goalmouth action was over, the last notable
moment coming when Mancini introduced transfer-window
arrival David Pizarro for his debut in the final minute.
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