Pep Guardiola admitted he felt uneasy at times during Manchester City’s tense 5-4 win over a resilient Fulham side at Craven Cottage on Tuesday.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring for City, marking a record-breaking milestone by reaching 100 Premier League goals in just 113 appearances.
Tijjani Reijnders made it 2-0 before Phil Foden netted his second consecutive brace, giving City a commanding 5-1 lead by the start of the second half.
It looked as though the visitors were coasting toward a comfortable victory.
However, Fulham showed remarkable determination. Alex Iwobi pulled one back in the 57th minute, and a brace from Samuel Chukwueze narrowed the gap to a single goal.
In stoppage time, Josh King almost snatched a dramatic equaliser, but his effort was cleared off the line.
This was the second instance in recent days where Guardiola’s men let slip a substantial advantage, following a narrow 3-2 win over Leeds United at the weekend.
“I’m so old, and the players don’t respect me! They don’t have to treat their manager in that way,” Guardiola said after the game.
“It only happens in this league. We played a fantastic game… There was some really positive things in what we have done. To come here, to score five goals, and the way we played in the first half.
“In the end it was a question of character, resilience and defence. They did what they had to do.
“Of course I was concerned. But this will help us in future games. Every game is a new team for some players. You have to make a process to start to correct.
“It’s incredible, impressive. Erling was outstanding, today he was unbelievable. He made a fantastic goal. Hopefully he’s starving hungry to continue with this club to make more and more goals.”
The win allows City to temporarily cut Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League to just two points.
Arsenal could extend their advantage back to five points if they defeat Brentford at the Emirates later on Wednesday.
