Manchester City secured a dramatic 5-4 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage, cutting Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League to two points. Erling Haaland became the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals, achieving the milestone in his 111th appearance during the match. The game featured nine goals, with City leading 5-1 before Fulham mounted a late rally.
The Premier League clash on December 2, 2025, at Craven Cottage turned into a classic as Manchester City overcame a spirited Fulham side. City raced to a 5-1 lead but had to hold on against a furious comeback from the hosts.
Haaland opened the scoring in the first half, smashing a left-footed shot from Jeremy Doku's low cross to mark his 15th league goal of the season and his 100th in the competition overall. He became the 35th player to join the elite 100-goal club, surpassing Alan Shearer's record of 124 appearances. Earlier, Haaland had hit the post with a chance inside six minutes.
Tijjani Reijnders made it 2-0 before halftime, chipping Bernd Leno after a pass from Haaland. Phil Foden extended the lead to 3-0 with a powerful left-footed strike from a corner rebound, but Emile Smith-Rowe pulled one back for Fulham with a deft header in stoppage time.
In the second half, Foden restored the three-goal advantage at 4-1, firing past Leno after Haaland's assist and Doku's cross. Doku's curling shot then deflected off Sander Berge for an own goal, making it 5-1—the earliest Fulham had conceded five in a Premier League game.
Fulham fought back: Alex Iwobi curled in a shot for 5-2, followed by Samuel Chukwueze's half-volley to make it 5-3. Chukwueze struck again in the 78th minute, scuffing a shot across goal for 5-4. Despite eight added minutes, Fulham couldn't equalize, marking the highest-scoring Premier League match in 12 years with nine goals total.
Haaland, who hit the post twice more, reflected post-match: “It’s a proud moment. The 100 club is a huge thing. To do it this quickly is amazing. I’m proud, I’m happy. A striker for City should score a lot of goals. That’s my job.” He added on the chaos: “Nine goals in a game is too much... It was a crazy game.”
City's win ends a two-match losing run, positioning them two points behind Arsenal, who face Brentford next.
