Fulham 1 Manchester City 4:MARK HUGHES strode across the turf at the end mustering as much dignity as he could while the visiting supporters in the Putney End bellowed Roberto Mancini's name, but his instinct must have been to avoid all eye contact and merely escape.
An occasion that had offered him the chance to prove a point to Manchester City had been transformed into an utter humiliation. Closure for Hughes will have to wait.
There had been a brief handshake with Mancini, the man who had replaced him at Eastlands after his messily executed sacking, on the final whistle, with his former players offering more heartfelt thanks as Hughes slalomed through them in front of the away fans.
The Fulham manager could not have envisaged the trauma of his side becoming victims of City’s most impressive attacking performance of the season. The colour had drained from his cheeks by the time he reached the relative refuge of the tunnel.
City delivered a statement of intent at their former manager’s expense. A side who had managed only 15 goals in 13 games had run riot to inflict Fulham’s most emphatic home league defeat since Arsenal won 4-0 here in March 2006. The top of the table is within reach, with breathing space from fifth place maintained.
If this once had the makings of an awkward occasion, it could end up being a watershed moment.
Certainly, there was no reason for the visiting supporters to pine for Hughes, even if he had signed a quintet of the visitors’ starting line-up, including the irresistible Carlos Tevez. One of Mancini’s purchases, David Silva, was just as elusive and creative while Yaya Toure, thrust upfield as the furthest forward of a snarling central trio, stamped his pedigree.
Fulham were defensively flimsy, gasping as City pinged passes at will. Tevez had prised them apart early, turning the weak Carlos Salcido on the edge of the area as he collected Gareth Barry’s slide-rule pass before placing his shot beyond Mark Schwarzer. The Mexican had been shrugged aside far too comfortably, his rusty performance that of a man not ready to return from injury.
Aleksandar Kolarov was denied a second by Schwarzer’s smart save but, where that had been born of a counter-attack, the goals that thrust the visitors farther ahead were yielded from blanket possession. The neatly executed triangles saw City glide from one end to the other, their players a blur of movement while Fulham melted away.
When Silva’s cross was hastily prodded clear by Damien Duff just after the half-hour mark, Pablo Zabaleta was free to batter the loose ball at goal, the shot veering past Schwarzer to prompt the first ironic chorus of “Boring, boring City”.
They were still bellowing their celebrations when a passage of 24 uninterrupted passes culminated in the liberation of Toure, trotting on to Tevez’s touch, who rammed his shot in off the far post. Fulham’s rearguard had been torn to shreds, their midfield washed away. Diego Maradona, sitting in the directors’ box as a guest of Mohamed al Fayed, shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
City deserved praise for the exhilarating nature of their possession play. This side have been ridiculed for tapping too much into their manager’s Italian conservatism, the presence of three naturally defensively minded midfielders behind, in effect, a lone striker in Tevez meaning life is too often a grind despite the array of attackers in their ranks. But when allowed to build momentum, they revelled.
The hosts provided more urgency after the interval but, by the time sub Zoltan Gera’s low shot had been deflected through Joe Hart’s attempt to save by Toure, Mancini’s team had already added to their tally.
Tevez might have scored again, searing away from Salcido only for Schwarzer to save with his legs, but his ninth league goal was plundered regardless from the resultant corner. Dickson Etuhu’s choked clearance landed with Zabaleta who skimmed a shot goalwards which the Argentine deflected over Schwarzer.
Guardian Service
