report by Layth Yousif at Craven Cottage

MANCHESTER CITY moved to the top of the Premier League for the first time since February 17 today after beating Fulham 2-1 in front of 24,498 fans at an atmospheric Craven Cottage. 

Pep Guardiola’s side capped a memorable week to post their eighth league win on the bounce as they eased past the Cottagers on the banks of the Thames. 

The visitors went ahead in under 180 seconds.

Referee Simon Hooper awarded a penalty to City when Fulham captain Tim Ream brought down Julian Alvarez in the box.

Up stepped Erling Haaland to swipe past keeper Bernd Leno for his 34th league goal of the season to put City 1-0 ahead.

Fulham levelled via midfielder Harry Wilson’s clever nod down to Carlos Vinicius, who fired home a tremendous left-footed volley past Ederson on 15 minutes, prompting raucous scenes among the home support, but City refused to panic in their bid to regain the lead.

As a prelude to City’s counterpunch, the home support’s pantomime villain Jack Grealish — who was later booked for an unseemly tangle with Fulham defender Kenny Tete — just failed to score as Leno tipped his 25th-minute shot onto the bar. 

But 11 minutes later, Alvarez found a pocket of space between the lines to whip the ball past the despairing dive of Leno to clinch a deserved 2-1 victory, though there was plenty of Fulham application throughout. 

City leapfrog faltering Arsenal to move one point clear with a game in hand in the hunt for their fifth title in six seasons.