Manchester City wrapped up their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over Fulham, securing a third-place finish and a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
In what was his final outing for City, Kevin De Bruyne made a second-half cameo, while Jack Grealish was notably absent from the matchday squad, fueling rumors of a possible summer exit.
Ilkay Gundogan produced a moment of brilliance to open the scoring in the first half.
After Matheus Nunes’ strike was parried, the midfielder reacted swiftly, executing a clever overhead kick that struck the underside of the crossbar before nestling in the net.
City doubled their lead in the 72nd minute when Erling Haaland converted from the penalty spot following a foul on Gundogan.
Despite being on the pitch, Omar Marmoush wasn’t given the opportunity to take the spot kick, perhaps a consequence of his missed penalty in the FA Cup final, as Ruben Dias handed the ball to Haaland instead.
Player of the Match: Ilkay Gundogan
Although dominant early on, City didn’t have everything go their way. Ederson was called into action to deny Harry Wilson twice, while Tom Cairney, possibly making his farewell appearance for Fulham, narrowly missed with a curling effort.
Fulham battled until the final whistle, testing Ederson again and coming close through Raul Jimenez, whose own overhead kick flew just over the bar.
Despite a historic season, they finished in 11th place, a disappointing end to a promising campaign.
For Pep Guardiola, this marks only the second time in his 16 top-flight seasons that his side has ended outside the top two, matching the 2016/17 campaign, when City also placed third.
