It is not difficult to predict who Manchester City will score the most goals for at the moment. However, the identity of the second name on the list will surprise many people. Pep Guardiola's squad has a classy striker, Erling Haaland, along with many other midfielders who also possess impressive goalscoring ability.
But not Mateo Kovacic. He could be a Champions League champion, a World Cup finalist and an impressive setter. But the Croatian international seems unfamiliar with scoring. "Kovacic is not a goalscorer," Guardiola said.
In his 553-match club career, Kovacic has never scored twice in a match. Now, he has done it and beyond the statistical significance, this is an alarming thing for The Citizens.
Man City have now extended their unbeaten streak at home to 50 matches in all competitions (excluding the penalty shootout with Real Madrid). However, they were trailing Fulham until the Croatian came on. Rodri has a habit of scoring important goals and at least Kovacic is willing to do that.
It is worth mentioning that Kovacic has scored three times more goals than Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan or Kevin de Bruyne this season.
As Man City end a two-match winless streak in the Premier League, the match revolves around two players whose main weakness is not being able to score. Adama Traore had a double at the Etihad but that was five years ago and for Wolves. Fulham seemed to have applied a similar formula to beat Man City, with their speed in counter-attacks.
The problem is that Traore has illustrated why his 379-game career has yielded just 32 goals. The Spaniard had three good chances and missed them all.
Jeremy Doku for Man City also has some similarities with Traore. The Belgian was agile and seemed unstoppable in dribbling. However, Doku's finishing was extremely bad.
Fulham's starting lineup, sacrificing Emile Smith Rowe for Sander Berge's solidity, helped them build a foundation in midfield and made it difficult for Man City.
"We had four clear chances to score. Looking at the chances we created and comparing them to Man City, we deserved more from this game. We have to be proud of the performance but not happy with the result" - Marco Silva lamented after the match.
The Premier League champions struggled against Fulham but there is no denying that their comebacks have been increasingly impressive. They have been behind in all four home games and have taken 10 points.
The last away team to win at the Etihad was Brentford, which took place before the 2022 World Cup. However, if Traore had been sharp or had a little luck like Kovacic, Man City's streak could have ended at 49.
