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  • Kick-off: 12:45
  • Venue: City of Manchester Stadium
  • Attendance: 35776
  • Referee: Wiley, A

Live Commentary

90mins

FULL TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 3-1 FULHAM: Manchester City wrap up a commanding 3-1 Eastlands win over Fulham with Bernardo Corradi scoring twice.

90mins

Dickov chases a last cause for the home side with the clock ticking away.

89mins

Trabelsi is replaced by Nedum Onuoha.

84mins

Trabelsi wins another free-kick and Corradi almost scores a hat-trick but Niemi expertly collects his close-range shot.

81mins

Weaver races off his line to collect a cross and quell the danger.

78mins

Trabelsi then fires straight at Niemi as City look to kill the contest.

77mins

Richards thunders a shot into the side-netting with Fulham caught napping.

76mins

Vassell tries a shot on the turn but his effort is always rising.

74mins

Volz is replaced by Tomasz Radzinski.

72mins

Pearce gets in a fine block from a Richards cross to give away a corner - Barton delivers but Niemi collects.

70mins

Jensen sends in another free-kick but Diop's header lacks the direction to trouble Weaver.

68mins

Samaras is replaced by Paul Dickov.

67mins

John lashes a shot high and wide with Fulham pressing forward.

62mins

MANCHESTER CITY 3-1 FULHAM (JOHN): JOHN slots over the advancing Weaver from a Helguson flick-on to give Fulham a lift.

60mins

Samaras squanders a golden chance as he sweeps over the crossbar from a Vassell cross.

59mins

Barton wins a free-kick off Boa Morte but his curling effort just misses his team-mates and the target.

57mins

Boa Morte gets back to concede a corner as City look for a fourth goal on the counter-attack.

54mins

Fulham doing most of the pressing and probing but struggling to find a breakthrough.

52mins

Ben Thatcher is booked for unsporting behaviour.

51mins

John finds the net for the visitors but is just caught offside again.

50mins

Queudrue gets in a powerful block to try and drive Fulham on.

47mins

John is caught offside as Fulham look to get back into this game.

46mins

Carlos Bocanegra is replaced by Collins John.

46mins

Brian McBride is replaced by Heidar Helguson.

45mins

The second half is underway at Eastlands with Fulham looking to restore some pride.

45mins

HALF TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 3-0 FULHAM: Referee Wiley blows for half-time with Manchester City 3-0 in front and firmly in control.

45mins

MANCHESTER CITY 3-0 FULHAM (BARTON): BARTON makes it 3-0 with a shot on the run as City catch Fulham on the break.

45mins

Moritz Volz is booked for unsporting behaviour.

44mins

Fulham looking short of ideas in the final third with the interval fast approaching.

41mins

Barton sends in another set-piece but Fulham defend well and clear their lines.

38mins

Barton tries a short corner but the move eventually breaks down.

37mins

Thatcher's free-kick almost finds the advancing Dunne but Knight does enough to put him off.

35mins

Boa Morte delivers a powerful cross from the left but none of his team-mates react.

34mins

Jensen sends in another free-kick but the ball passes out of play.

32mins

MANCHESTER CITY 2-0 FULHAM (CORRADI): CORRADI grabs his second with a strong finish after an assist by Barton.

28mins

Carlos Bocanegra tries to slide the ball through for McBride but Dunne intercepts.

26mins

Boa Morte and Jensen combine well but the move breaks down on the edge of the City area.

23mins

Liam Rosenior's free-kick is won by Brian McBride inside the penalty area but Fulham lack the bodies to pose a threat.

21mins

Darius Vassell crosses from the left but Pearce clears the danger.

20mins

Franck Queudrue comes to nothing and City break again but Niemi collects.

18mins

Samaras cuts inside and curls a right-footed effort just wide of the target.

17mins

Claus Jensen sends in a clever free-kick but Nicky Weaver adjusts himself to collect Diop's header.

16mins

Corradi almost grabs a second but Niemi gets down well to smother the ball.

13mins

Moritz Volz is caught offside as Fulham look to level the game.

12mins

MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 FULHAM (CORRADI): CORRADI latches onto team-mate Samaras's flick-on to fire past Antti Niemi on the volley.

10mins

Luis Boa Morte wins a free-kick off new England star Micah Richards.

8mins

Diop is down receiving treatment from an earlier challenge.

6mins

Hatem Trabelsi whips in a dangerous cross but Knight clear for a corner - Joey Barton finds Richard Dunne but the referee blows for a foul.

5mins

Papa Bouba Diop wins a free-kick after a foul by Claudio Reyna but Fulham waste possession.

5mins

Bernardo Corradi tries to play in Samaras but Fulham are alive to the danger.

3mins

Knight wins a towering header at the other end to clear a Ben Thatcher throw-in.

2mins

Zat Knight's hopeful long ball finds touch.

1mins

Georgios Samaras tries to get a shot away but Ian Pearce gets the block in.

0mins

Referee Alan Wiley gets this Eastlands clash underway with Manchester City looking to extend their run of home clean sheets to seven league games.

Match Report

Bernardo Corradi set Manchester City on the road to victory against Fulham as his long wait to break his scoring duck finally ended.

The Italy international striker, who had failed to score in his opening 12 appearances for City, spectacularly ended his goal drought.

And like waiting for a bus, Corradi, a £2million summer signing from Spanish side Valencia, suddenly couldn't stop scoring as he quickly grabbed a second first-half goal as City extended their unbeaten home run to seven games.

The only blemish for City was that they finally conceded a goal at Eastlands for the first time this season, a run stretching to over ten hours.

Fulham will be glad not to have to return to Manchester this season, having lost 5-1 at Manchester United on the opening day of the campaign.

And since that loss at Old Trafford, Chris Coleman's Cottagers had strung together a five-match unbeaten run on the road.

City restored Corradi and Georgios Samaras to their front-line, as Paul Dickov stood down and Darius Vassell was switched to the left flank to cover for the injured Trevor Sinclair.

And the return of Corradi and Samaras proved an inspired change as the pair created and executed City's opening goal.

Samaras produced a delightful flick over the Fulham defence in the 12th minute enabling Corradi to beat the offside trap and score with a stunning volley from just inside the penalty area.

The relief for Corradi was palpable as he raced to the corner whipped out the flag and proceded to knight team-mate Joey Barton.

Corradi could have added a second goal minutes later when Fulham keeper Antti Niemi made a brave block to deny the striker, but the revitalised Corradi struck again after 32 minutes with another stunning strike.

This time Barton was the provider with a powerful burst from midfield before slipping a pass low to his right to release Corradi, who fired high into the roof of the net from a couple of yards inside the penalty area.

This time Corradi raced to the opposite corner flag and celebrated in an identical manner to his goal.

Fulham hardly threatened the City goal in the opening period apart from a Papa Bouba Diop header which was comfortably caught by keeper Nick Weaver, while Luis Boa Morte blazed wide from an inviting position on the left side of the area.

City sealed victory in first-half stoppage time when Barton scored their third goal.

Sylvain Distin launched a long clearance out of defence and Hatem Trabelsi squared the ball inside from the right for Barton to run through on goal and slot his shot low to the left of Niemi.

Fulham made a double substitution at the break bringing on Collins John and Heidar Helguson as they switched from 4-5-1 to a more adventurous 4-4-2 formation.

And Fulham were far more of a threat as John had the ball twice in the net in the opening seven minutes, though each effort was ruled out for offside.

They were finally rewarded for their efforts with a goal in the 62nd minute, the first City had conceded at home this season.

Helguson headed on a long ball and John raced through the City defence to lob keeper Weaver.

Fulham threw on Tomasz Radzinski as Coleman went for broke with a policy of all-out attack.

But that strangely benefited City, who exploited holes in the Fulham backline as Micah Richards, Trabelsi and Corradi all had chances to increase City's lead with Corradi squandering the chance to complete a hat-trick.

Manchester City

Fulham

Corners

50

Fouls

2212

Goal attempts

157

Shots off target

85

Offsides

33

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