FULHAM 2 MANCHESTER CITY 4
Fulham Richardson 50', Kompany (og) 69'
Manchester City Toure 23', Kompany 43', Navas 78', Milner 83'
*
Premier League correspondent
LONDON // It was a chaotic, thrilling afternoon that ended with Manchester City second in the Premier League table, but impressive as they were in reasserting their authority after letting Fulham back into the game, they were close to squandering yet more away points.
With the defensive vulnerability that has already cost them at Cardiff, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Chelsea, they seem determined to go through the season, in scorelines at least, as a 1950s tribute act.
At half time, City seemed to be cruising.
Yaya Toure put them ahead, clipping in a free kick off the underside of the bar, then Vincent Kompany jabbed home after Maarten Stekelenburg had palmed out Martin Demichelis’s header. It was a game in which it seemed they could relax, perhaps resting players ahead of the packed Christmas programme, but then the sloppiness that keeps undermining them away from home resurfaced.
Four minutes after the break, David Silva was dispossessed deep in the Fulham half by Scott Parker.
Steve Sidwell spread the ball to the left, where Adel Taarabt hurtled by Gael Clichy, uncertain covering at right-back for the injured Pablo Zabaleta, and squared for Kieran Richardson to score.
Suddenly a game that had looked over was alive, but there is also a longer-term issue, given that Zabaleta will be out until at least the end of January with a hamstring injury and Micah Richards continues to struggle with muscle problems of his own.
Clichy did not look at all comfortable playing on the wrong side, and it may be that James Milner ends up having to deputise.
As Fulham, scenting weakness, piled forward, City almost visibly bucked.
Clearances were hacked, passes misplaced, Alvaro Negredo took an air shot.
And then, with 20 minutes remaining, Sascha Riether crossed low from the right, Kompany took a wild swing, and sliced the ball over Joe Hart and into the top corner for a bizarre own goal.
But City’s resources give them a tremendous edge.
Jesus Navas, having come on for Edin Dzeko, ran on to David Silva’s pass and shot between Stekelenburg’s legs to put City back ahead after 78 minutes. Five minutes later, Aaron Hughes missed Negredo’s cross and Milner knocked in a fourth.
Fulham remain second from the bottom after their third defeat in four games under Rene Meulensteen, but again they could take credit for their spirit.
“It’s the same story as after the Spurs and Everton games,” Meulensteen said. “I’ve been very positive about the development in and around training ground.
“That’s transpired on the pitch, but it hasn’t produced what we need – which is more points on the board.
“I think we all agree if you look at the performances and our energy, we should never have been in the position that we are and that gives us a lot of encouragement.”
Hart’s return almost went unnoticed among the mayhem, but he was quietly competent, making two fine first-half saves against Taarabt and having little chance with either goal.
“Today he did well,” the City manager, Manuel Pellegrini, said. “We’ll see what happens. It was a tough decision to drop [Costel] Pantilimon because he was doing well.” That, at least, is a positive for City, who otherwise simply played up to the template of the rest of the season.
Going forward they are sensational: an average of three goals a game after 17 matches is extraordinary and, if maintained, would take them to 114 goals for the season, 11 more than the league record set by Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea.
Pellegrini praised his side’s “reaction” to losing their lead and seemed almost to suggest that their fault had been not to convert more of their chances, but at the back, they remain worrisome and shaky.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap (TB) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Switzerland, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner Lord Giltters, Adrie de Vries, David O’Meara
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
9.25pm Al Fahidi Fort Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Land Of Legends, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
10pm Dubai Dash Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner Equilateral, Frankie Dettori, Charles Hills.
Results
2pm: Al Sahel Contracting Company – Maiden (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: AF Mutakafel, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
2.30pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: El Baareq, Antonio Fresu, Rashed Bouresly
3pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Alkaraama, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
4pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Lady Snazz, Saif Al Balushi, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Hive – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
5pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – (TB) Handicap Dh64,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
ENGLAND%20SQUAD
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
TUESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 2pm:
Elina Svitolina (UKR) [3] v Jennifer Brady (USA)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) v Belinda Bencic (SUI [4]
Not before 7pm:
Sofia Kenin (USA) [5] v Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
Maria Sakkari (GRE) v Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) [7]
Court One
Starting at midday:
Karolina Muchova (CZE) v Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) v Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR)
Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) v Dayana Yastermska (UKR)
Petra Martic (CRO) [8] v Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE)
Sorana Cirstea (ROU) v Anett Kontaveit (EST)
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000