Erling Haaland saved the day for Manchester City and spared Joao Cancelo's blushes as the striker's last-gasp penalty secured a 2-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League.
Cancelo had left City short-handed after an embarrassing red card, which came shortly after Julian Alvarez gave the Etihad Stadium hosts a deserved early lead.
City were seeking a 13th consecutive win against Fulham across all competitions, yet their hopes nosedived soon after the opener when Cancelo was ordered off for a poor challenge on Harry Wilson, handing Fulham a spot-kick that Andreas Pereira tucked away.
Fulham were moments away from a point, but then Kevin De Bruyne was tripped by Antonee Robinson and a second penalty of the game was awarded. Substitute Haaland's kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time was almost saved by Bernd Leno, but the ball squirmed under the goalkeeper, sending City above Arsenal at the top of the table.
Alvarez headed wide from a decent chance in the third minute after a delicious cross from De Bruyne. De Bruyne then had a typically scorching 20-yard drive tipped over the bar by Bernd Leno before Fulham gained any sort of foothold.
A mauling looked on the cards, and Alvarez thrashed in the opener off the underside of the bar in the 17th minute after Ilkay Gundogan's pass set him clear.
John Stones had a tap-in disallowed for offside, but the game changed in the 25th minute when Cancelo was red-carded for an absurdly lazy barge in the penalty area on Wilson, with Pereira slotting the spot-kick past Ederson.
Ten-man City remained dominant, yet half-chances came and went before Pep Guardiola summoned Haaland and Phil Foden from the bench in the 64th minute.
Haaland shot wide from a difficult opportunity, but then his moment looked to have come in the 74th minute, with De Bruyne's delivery from the left a thing of beauty and the striker's close-range header just deadly.
Yet the substitute was marginally offside, the VAR verdict saving Fulham. Just as they looked set to cling on for a valued point, the foul on De Bruyne and Haaland's cool head tilted the game back City's way.
Fans detained by Czech police after West Ham supporters are attacked in Prague
Czech police have detained several people following a clash between West Ham and Fiorentina fans ahead of the Europa Conference League final in Prague on Wednesday.
The force said Italian fans attacked West Ham fans in a bar in the country’s capital, with three people being left injured as a result.
It was also confirmed a police officer had been attacked during the incident.
Following the clash, 16 people were detained as police “restricted the personal freedom” of those suspected to be involved.
A translation of a Czech police tweet said: “Italy fans attacked West Ham fans in a bar in Rytirska Street, injuring three. One policeman was also attacked. We have restricted the personal freedom of 16 people and we are currently investigating the whole incident.”
Outside the Tek’ila Tek’ila bar in the city centre, a burnt-out chair and broken glass were seen littered across the ground.
One West Ham fan, who did not want to be named, said “a large group” of Italian fans attacked the bar.
“About eight Italians walked past, swinging bands and chains,” he said.
“Five minutes later there was a big group that come down the road and attacked us.”
The man said five West Ham fans were injured.
He said: “Three of our mates (were injured), out of all of this lot there were five. Three of them were our mates. They’ve gone to hospital.”
He added that one of his friends was “quite badly” injured with a “massive cut” on his head.
Videos were also shared on social media appearing to show people throwing chairs at each other in Prague on Wednesday.
Sheffield United release Billy Sharp after promotion to Premier League
Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp will not get the chance to represent his boyhood club in the Premier League again next season after being released.
The 37-year-old, who came through the youth ranks at Bramall Lane, will end his third spell at the club at the conclusion of his current contract, departing having made 377 appearances and scored 129 goals.
He did play 45 times for the Blades last season as they won promotion from the Championship and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, but boss Paul Heckingbottom does not think he is worth a new deal in the top flight.
Jack O’Connell and Enda Stevens are also released and will depart the club having played their parts in promotions over the years.
The Blades have exercised the options on contracts for Oliver Norwood, Oliver McBurnie, Wes Foderingham and Ismaila Coulibaly to keep them at the club while negotiations over new deals for John Fleck, Jack Robinson and Ben Osborn are ongoing.
Man City keeper Ederson will not opt for safe option in Champions League final
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson will not change the way he plays for a safer option in the Champions League final.
The Brazil international’s ability with the ball at his feet means he has a key part to play when it comes to the team playing out from the back but when opposition teams press high that style can sometimes lead to greater risk.
But even in a one-off game, where a single mistake can decide the outcome of an entire season’s work, Ederson has no plans to play the percentages against Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday.
“We need to keep playing in the same way that we have been. We can’t change that just because we’re playing in a final,” he said.
“We have to have the personality to play, to have the ball at our feet, to find passes. Of course, making mistakes is part of being a goalkeeper, defender, the whole team.
“We’re all able to make a mistake, whether it comes in the first game of the season or the last, but we have to keep the same personality to play.”
Part of that personality is an ability to remain calm under pressure and not let setbacks derail the game-plan.
Ederson, who finished joint sixth in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Glove – seven behind Manchester United keeper David De Gea’s 17 clean sheets, feels the experience he has gained has given him the tools to cope with every eventuality.
“I think any City keeper needs to be calm, to play with personality,” added Ederson, who at the request of his daughter dyed his hair blue following City’s successful Premier League defence and will do so again if they beat Inter.
View this post on Instagram“There are a lot of teams that try to pressure us, so you need to be calm, get the ball under control and have the vision to find the right pass.
“I remember a game against Tottenham where I misplaced a pass and it led to a goal. I said to my team-mates after ‘You can still pass to me’, because errors are part of the process.
“Errors help us to grow, we learn a lot from mistakes. I mainly learn from errors. You can learn a lot more from making a mistake than you can from doing things right or from winning.
“So I always try to keep calm, to pass this calmness onto my team-mates as well, so that they know that they can play the ball to me and that I’m calm enough to make the right decision.”
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