Erik ten Hag insisted he and Manchester United's hierarchy are "all on board together" following the Red Devils' goalless draw with Aston Villa.

United played out their fourth stalemate in five games across all competitions - losing the other against Tottenham last weekend - as the spoils were shared at Villa Park.

The Red Devils' tally of eight points, which keeps them 14th in the table, is their lowest after the first seven matches of a Premier League season, with their struggles increasing the pressure on Ten Hag.

However, as speculation surrounding his future continues to grow, the Dutchman remains calm on the matter, as he focused on the positive aspects of his side's performance.

When asked if he has spoken to United's board, he told Sky Sports: "We always speak, every week we speak. We are all on board together, on one page, we know what we are working through. It's a long-term process.

"I think it's the fourth clean sheet this season. You saw we had a very good organisation and togetherness. There was good character and good spirit as a team; determined, resilient.

"We almost didn't concede a chance. At the end, they had a big chance [Diogo Dalot blocking Jaden Philogene's stoppage-time attempt], but I think it was almost the only chance.

"We have come through two very tough away games. This is a team, we showed the belief and faith we have."

However, only 19th-place Southampton (four) have scored fewer goals than United (five) so far, while only in 1972-73 (four) have they ever netted fewer in their first seven matches of a top-flight campaign.

Ten Hag acknowledged his players must show a greater cutting edge in attack.

"We have created loads of chances in our seven games, but we have to step up," he added. 

"We know, at this moment, we have a lack of goals. In that perspective, it's not a good start. That's an area we have to improve."

Meanwhile, Jonny Evans said he and his team-mates have been affected by the speculation surrounding Ten Hag, but praised the spirit demonstrated by the team.

"It does affect the players. It's on our minds, too," the defender told BBC Match of the Day.

"I think the more experience I've got in my career, I've made sure I do everything to be ready and give everything I can to the team.

"That was the important thing, to show the spirit in the team. Everyone competed as much as they could. That's a pleasing thing to see."

Aston Villa and Manchester United shared the spoils in an underwhelming 0-0 draw at Villa Park.

With both sides having been in European action in midweek, albeit to varying degrees of success, there was a lethargic feel to Sunday's clash.

Both sides went close early in the second half. Emiliano Martinez tipped over Marcus Rashford's fierce drive, while Youri Tieleman's long-range strike was pushed away by Andre Onana. 

Bruno Fernandes almost broke the deadlock in the 68th minute – the United skipper rattling the crossbar with a 25-yard free-kick.

Diogo Dalot made a vital intervention to block Jaden Philogene's stoppage-time effort, as neither team were able to find the breakthrough.

Unai Emery's side sit fifth on 14 points, while United are 14th on eight points, which is their lowest ever tally after seven matches of a Premier League campaign.

Data Debrief: Unwanted history for United

After their latest stalemate, United are now without a win in five matches across all competitions (drawn four), as the wait for a victory continues for the under-pressure Erik ten Hag.

As well as being their worst start to a Premier League season, eight points is their lowest tally at this stage of a league campaign since 1989-90 (seven) under Alex Ferguson, who watched on from the stands.

On a brighter note, they were able to hold out for a third successive away clean sheet in the Premier League for the first time since March 2021.

As for Villa, they extend their unbeaten streak to eight matches, but have now won just one of their last 26 top-flight matches against United on home soil.

Noni Madueke’s equaliser earned Chelsea a point as they came from behind in a 1-1 draw with 10-man Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge.

Despite a late push by the dominant hosts, Forest held firm to continue their fine start in the Premier League against another top-four opponent.

After a tepid first half, Chris Wood put the visitors ahead in the 49th minute after directing Nikola Milenkovic's header across goal into the bottom corner.

That lead did not last long as Madueke fired Chelsea level just eight minutes later after cutting in from the right of the box.

James Ward-Prowse received his marching orders for a second yellow card on 78 minutes, though neither side could find a winner in the fiery encounter despite a spate of late chances.

Chelsea, on 14 points, hold onto fourth place going into the international break, while Forest sit four points below them in ninth.

Data Debrief: Forest flying on their travels

Only Frank Clark (59) has picked up more away points as manager of Nottingham Forest in the Premier League than Nuno Espírito Santo. Forest’s draw today takes Nuno’s away points total with Forest to 19, one more than Brian Clough managed in the competition for the club.

Of Wood’s last 14 goals for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, 10 have been scored away from home (71.4%). This comes after all of his first five goals for the club in the competition were scored at home.

Mikel Arteta has hailed Bukayo Saka's maturity and labelled what the Arsenal winger is producing as "unbelievable".

Saka produced two assists and scored Arsenal's third goal in the Gunners' 3-1 comeback win over Southampton on Saturday.

The England international leads the way for chances created (27), big chances created (12), assists (seven) and expected assists (3.16) in the Premier League this season, while only Manchester City's Bernardo Silva (19) has crafted more opportunities from open play than Saka (17).

With Martin Odegaard out injured, Saka has also taken on the responsibility of captain, and Arteta is thrilled with what the 23-year-old is delivering.

"That's the maturity and that's the steps that players have to do. He has been long enough in the team now, he has the right to have that role," said the Arsenal manager, as quoted by Sky Sports.

"He believes in that, that he has the capacity to change games, to decide games, like many other players, and he wants to be at the top.

"I think it's another step ahead, and it's what he wants.

"Do it at home, do it away, do it in big games, in the not-so-big games, and when the team needs it, not when it's 3-0. That is what defines a top, top player.

"What he's doing at his age is unbelievable. We have many examples of that as well."

Saka's next goal in the Premier League will be his 50th for Arsenal.

Since his debut in late 2018, only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (50) has netted more goals in the competition for the Gunners than Saka (49).

Indeed, in that time, Saka leads Arsenal for chances created (320), big chances created (54) and assists (42), having played 177 times in the top flight, 35 times more than any other Gunners player.

Pep Guardiola is not worried about Manchester City's defending despite the reigning champions failing to keep a clean sheet in their last six Premier League matches.

City went 1-0 down against Fulham before fighting back to win 3-2 on Saturday. Their opponents also amassed an expected goals (xG) total of 2.4 compared to City's 1.55.

It follows a trend of unusually sloppy defensive displays from the champions, who have conceded eight goals in their last six league matches. They also had to come from behind against Brentford in September.

Guardiola, however, is not overly worried.

"Sometimes I give credit. The first goal – why don't we give credit to them rather than [be critical] defensively? There are actions we can defend better but step by step we will improve," he said, via the Guardian.

"I would say except [Yoane] Wissa against Brentford, in the other ones we were playing good. It's not nice to come back from 0-1 but we created chances today to go 1-0 and 2-0."

City allowed Fulham five big chances compared to their one, with the London side taking 11 shots, nine of those from inside the box.

Comparatively, City had 20 shots with only half of those coming from inside the box. However, two of the visitors’ goals came from outside the area with Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic both firing in from distance. 

"I'm very happy he scored two goals, he's not a guy to score [usually] those goals," Guardiola said of Kovacic, who is one of the midfielders the City boss expects to fill in for the injured Rodri this season.

“We started really well with two chances in two minutes and they switched immediately to five at the back. When they do that, we have one man free on the 18-yard box and that is Kovacic.

"The two goals were because they couldn't defend that. We have to exploit that more against teams that don’t play five at the back – now opponents know that they can’t leave him [Kovacic] alone, otherwise he will score a goal."

Jordan Pickford said he fancied Anthony Gordon would switch up his penalty routine after scoring his last two spot-kicks for Newcastle United.

Gordon was a livewire for Newcastle against Everton on Saturday, though the England international ultimately fluffed his lines in the biggest moment of the 0-0 draw at Goodison Park.

With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Gordon failed to beat his former club-mate Pickford from 12 yards after James Tarkowski had fouled Sandro Tonali.

The Goodison faithful were in a buoyant mood after seeing Gordon, who left Everton for Newcastle in 2023, squander his big chance, though the Toffees could not craft an opening at the other end, albeit Dominic Calvert-Lewin was perhaps unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty of his own.

Nevertheless, Everton held firm to make it three Premier League games unbeaten and secure their first clean sheet of the campaign.

Pickford and Gordon spoke on the pitch at full-time, and the England goalkeeper told Sky Sports: "He asked me why I went that way. I just said both his penalties before had gone right, so I fancied him going to the left, which he did.

"I back myself on pens, it’s the first one I’ve saved for Everton in a while."

It marked Pickford's sixth penalty save from 33 spot-kicks faced in the league during his time at Everton, and his first stop since a crucial one from James Maddison against Leicester City in May 2023.

Newcastle, meanwhile, have had two of their last three Premier League penalties saved (one goal), having scored 23 of their previous 24 spot kicks in the competition.

Asked if it helped going up against a player he knows well in Gordon, Pickford said: "I watched the game [against Man City] and he reversed it against Ederson, and he went the same way the game before so I just fancied him going goalkeeper's left.

"It hit me off my knee, straight off my beak [nose]. I don't think Ant executed it to perfection, he'll be disappointed, but I’m there to make the save and that’s what I’ve done.

"It's like trying to double-bluff each other – I've got the better of him, it’s a big moment and managed to get us a draw. Now we move forward."

Eddie Howe, meanwhile, said his team took "big steps forward" despite not getting the three points.

"I have to credit the players because it is a difficult environment to play in and it is a much better defensive display from us too. Big steps forward," Howe told BBC Sport.

"We stood up to the physical test and were technically very good. We are trying to break barriers and have an outstanding season. I think we are capable of more and we have some tough fixtures to come.

"Anthony handled the occasion very well. I think his all-round game was very good. He will be disappointed with the penalty. But credit to Pickford for the save."

This was just Newcastle’s third clean sheet in their last 32 Premier League away games – they had recorded three consecutive shutouts on the road before this run.

Since the start of last season, meanwhile, only Arsenal (21) and Liverpool (15) have kept more Premier League clean sheets than Everton (14).

Gary O'Neil believes Wolves' 5-3 defeat against Brentford was his "worst game as a coach" as the visitors remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table. 

Nathan Collins' second-minute header was cancelled out by Matheus Cunha soon after, only for in-form Bryan Mbeumo to put the Bees in front from the penalty spot. 

Jorgen Strand Larsen levelled the game once again, but the hosts then raced into a 4-2 lead by the break thanks to efforts from Christian Norgaard and Ethan Pinnock. 

The final two goals of an enthralling encounter came in the closing stages, with Fabio Carvalho scoring Brentford's fifth before Rayan Ait-Nouri netted a late consolation.

Wolves are now winless in their first seven games of the 2024-25 Premier League season (D1 L6), their worst run at the start of a top-flight campaign since 2003-04, when they also went without a win in their first seven (D2 L5). 

They have also managed just one win in their last 17 league matches, but it was the manner in which his team collapsed that left O'Neil feeling downcast.

"It's the furthest I've seen the group from what we wanted to look like. An unbelievably disappointing afternoon for us. Crazy, crazy goals we gave away," O'Neil said. 

"There's a lot to think about and a lot to put right. We’ll get straight to work. Some players will be away [on international duty] but we need to find a way for the team to be better than this afternoon.

"Today was so loose. [We made] crazy decisions with and without the ball. It was a really poor performance.

"The responsibility is on me. Of course, the players are going to make decisions, but I need to give them something that makes them make better decisions than they made today, make fewer mistakes than we made today. It’s the worst game I’ve been involved in as a coach.

“I'll do the best I can with the group I have. The club do what they can do off the pitch. My responsibility is to find results. This league can be tough. There are no hiding places. We can do better than that."

For Thomas Frank and Brentford, they continued their impressive home form in the Premier League this term. 

The Bees are now unbeaten in their first four home games of the 2024-25 Premier League season (W3 D1), their longest such run at the start of a top-flight campaign since 1936-37.

Saturday's triumph was also their first home league win against Wolves since a 3-0 win in the Championship back in February 2016.

They also netted four first-half goals for the second time in the Premier League following their 4-0 win over Manchester United back in August 2022. 

Brentford continued their lightning starts to matches this campaign, with Collins' opener coming after a minute and 15 seconds, with the Bees falling agonisingly short of scoring inside the first minute for the fourth game running. 

"We've been practising winning the coin toss all week, and we lost it. That’s why it took us so long [to score]," Frank joked. 

"AIl jokes aside, we want to get forward as quickly as possible and put crosses into the box. After they made it 2-2, we scored 32 seconds after the kick-off.

"Offensively - wow! Unbelievable. We seemed to create a chance every time we went forward, and we were such a threat from set pieces.

"Defensively, I’m mostly angry about the first goal. The second one, we lost the ball - it was quite good play from them. For their third goal we could have done better.

"We gave less away compared to the West Ham game, but we still need to improve."

Everton old boy Anthony Gordon saw a penalty saved on his return to Goodison Park as Newcastle United were held to a 0-0 draw on Saturday.

Gordon had been Newcastle's spot-kick hero a week earlier, winning and converting a penalty to earn a point against Manchester City, but his failure this time cost the Magpies.

After James Tarkowski's foolish foul on Sandro Tonali gave Gordon, who left Everton for Newcastle in January 2023, his opportunity from 12 yards, he could not find a way past England team-mate Jordan Pickford.

The save from Pickford was heartily celebrated by the Everton fans, though their fury was directed at referee Craig Pawson midway through the second half, when Dominic Calvert-Lewin felt he too should have had a penalty.

Idrissa Gueye missed a huge chance as part of that incident, before Gordon was wasteful again late on as both sides were forced to settle for a point.

It nudges Sean Dyche's side further clear of the relegation zone, while Newcastle can at least take solace in a place in the top six.

Data Debrief: Gordon's Goodison nightmare

Gordon was at the centre of attention right from the outset, jeered by the Everton fans and on the end of a number of heavy challenges from his former team-mates. He won four fouls, more than any other player on the pitch.

So the Newcastle winger was clearly determined to provide a response when the visitors were awarded a penalty, stepping up as he had against City but this time denied by Pickford. This was Pickford's first Premier League penalty save since May 2023, ending a run of eight consecutive concessions against a man he knows so well from both club and international duty.

Gordon should have done better late on, too. He had only two shots, but they were worth a combined 0.87 xG – more than Everton's total of 0.73.

Mikel Arteta showered praise on his Arsenal players after their 3-1 victory against Southampton, saying his squad will "always find a way" to win.

The Gunners bounced back from Cameron Archer's opener to earn their 400th Premier League home win on Saturday, with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka on target. 

Arsenal enter the international break in third, hot on the heels of leaders Liverpool and level on points with Manchester City. 

They also continued their impressive record against Southampton, extending their unbeaten run against them in the top flight to 25 matches (W17 D8), but the hosts were made to work for the win. 

Arteta's side registered 14 shots in the first half with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.15, though their only shot on target came in stoppage time courtesy of Thomas Partey. 

The introduction of Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino prompted an improvement in attack shortly after Havertz's leveller.

"The start was exceptional, the dominance, the chances. It was unbelievable not to go one, two, three goals up," Arteta said. 

"We conceded the goal, and then it was game on.

"I thought the team reacted with a lot of authority, and I am happy the team can react like this - but not happy after the chances we had that we had to go through that.

"The substitutes changed the energy and also the feel in the crowd. We won in the end and I think we deserved it. This team always finds a way.

"The way we started was phenomenal, but we didn't get our reward. We had a difficult context at 1-0 but we did it."

Arteta also lauded Saka's performance after the England international took his goal involvement tally to nine for the season with his strike coming after two assists.

This campaign, only Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer (10 each) have been involved in more goals than Saka. 

The 23-year-old has also taken on the role of captain in Martin Odegaard's absence, something Arteta believes Saka is embracing. 

"For sure. That's the maturity and steps players have to do. He's been in the team long enough to earn the right to have that role. He believes in that," Arteta said. 

"He has the capacity to change and decide games like many other players. If we want to be at the top, sometimes players have to create those moments, and he's certainly done that again today."

Southampton, meanwhile, are now without a win in their last 20 Premier League matches, equalling their longest top-flight winless run (a run of 20 between August and December in 1969).

But they had their moments to level the contest, with Tyler Dibling's deflected effort and Taylor Harwood-Bellis' header striking the woodwork prior to Saka's settler.

"I feel so much more positive and proud of my team than I did on Monday [after a 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth], and we played against one of the best teams in the country," Russell Martin told BBC Sport.

"If we play like that in the next block of games, I'd be very happy. I think we're learning and growing, and we're on a journey. But we're doing it under huge scrutiny and the intensity of the Premier League.

"I have to keep the guys on track and on path. There's a lot to be frustrated about, we don't have enough points on the board and a win yet, but I loved all of our resilience."

Julen Lopetegui had plenty of praise for West Ham's "strong mentality" as his side triumphed 4-1 against Ipswich Town at London Stadium.

It marked the Hammers’ first win at home this Premier League season, while Ipswich remain winless.

The hosts went 1-0 ahead after 48 seconds through Michail Antonio - West Ham’s earliest Premier League goal on record.

Having been pegged back to level terms just five minutes later when Liam Delap scored following a corner, Lopetegui was pleased with how his side set about regaining control, with Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta on target.

"We started better but we suffered a very early goal too. We conceded from the first corner and maybe we could have done better. It was key as the team then showed a strong mentality," he said, as quoted by Sky Sports.

"In the bad moments, you have to be strong. We did against Brentford and we did again today. It's important to highlight as it will help us become a better team."

West Ham proved the dominant force, registering 23 shots with 17 of them coming from inside the box. It meant Lopetegui’s men accumulated an expected goals (xG) total of 3.17 by full-time.

"We're happy when we win. We work for this. We're happy for the fans as they deserve this and for the players as they are working very hard. It was against a good team. They didn't lose to Villa, Fulham, Southampton, Brighton so it's a good win,” he added.

For Lopetegui's counterpart Kieran McKenna, the result was another stark reminder of the challenges the Premier League presents for a promoted side.

The Tractor Boys sit in seventeenth, just one point above the relegation zone.

"It ended up a disappointing day for us. There was a large majority of the first half in which it was a competitive game that was evenly fought. We played some good football but we conceded poor goals which changed the momentum of the game," McKenna said.

"We didn't deal well enough with the direct play. The goals came from those moments so there's a lot for us to learn."

Ipswich allowed their opponents 28 touches inside their box, while they were reliant on the woodwork to stop West Ham from adding to their lead.

"They didn't have to work hard for their goals. Apart from the fourth, the goals came too easily. They have quality and they showed that with the goals and chances they created if you give them opportunities," reflected McKenna.

Two-goal hero Mateo Kovacic dedicated his double to his future child following Manchester City's 3-2 victory over Fulham.

Kovacic scored either side of half-time to complete the turnaround, as Pep Guardiola's side came from behind to maintain the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool, who they trail by a single point.

The Croatian's deflected strike in the 32nd minute levelled the contest, before he swept City in front from 20 yards within two minutes of the restart.

That took Kovacic's goal tally for the season to three - already his best return in a single Premier League campaign - and his strikes had added significance on a personal level.

"It means a lot because my wife is pregnant, so it was great to get some goals for the little one," he said. "It is never easy to play in the Premier League and, today, we showed great character. 

"We dominated in the beginning and couldn't score, conceded the goal and then came back quickly. In the end, we won it. It was a tough game against an opponent in good form, so for us, it is good to continue winning.

"It is always important to get the win. It doesn't matter who scores; the most important thing is getting three points. Now, we hope to continue like this."

Kovacic anchored City's midfield in the absence of Rodri, who suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal a fortnight ago.

"I am playing there in the middle at the moment and, of course, we need to cover for Rodri. We miss him a lot," the 30-year-old added.

"I think any team would miss him, the player that he is, and we wish him a speedy recovery and hope he comes back in as good a shape as possible. 

"For now, we have to adapt and, for sure, the manager has a lot of options, so we can rotate."

Leicester City finally got their first win of the Premier League season, defeating Bournemouth 1-0 at the King Power Stadium.

Facundo Buonanotte scored the winning goal for Steve Cooper’s side in the 16th minute with a stunning curling effort.

Bournemouth put on a much better display in the second half though, with Lewis Cook having a direct free-kick ruled out for offside 66 minutes in.

Illia Zabarnyi and Dango Ouattara also hit the woodwork as the Cherries continued to dominate, but they fell short of finding an equaliser.

The Foxes move up to 15th place, with six points from seven matches, while Bournemouth sit 13th – two points better off their opponents.

Data Debrief: Buonanotte at his best

While Leicester had to wait for their first victory since returning to the top flight, it came via a player who had already impressed under Cooper.

Buonanotte now has four goal involvements in six Premier League appearances this season – already his joint-most across a single campaign in the competition (also four for Brighton and Hove Albion in 2023-24). 

Indeed, his four goal contributions in his last five league games is as many as he managed in his previous 36 matches.

Leicester had to come through plenty of pressure at the other end, but they held firm for their first home clean sheet in the Premier League since October 2022 – a 2-0 win over Leeds United that game 16 home top-flight games ago.

Arsenal came from a goal down to earn their 400th Premier League home win as they overcame a plucky Southampton 3-1 at Emirates Stadium.

Cameron Archer stunned the hosts in the 55th minute, firing a low effort into the bottom corner after being picked out by Mateus Fernandes’ raking pass.

But the Gunners responded three minutes later through Kai Havertz, who continued his scoring streak at the Emirates with a fierce strike beyond his former team-mate Aaron Ramsdale.

The comeback was complete 10 minutes later when Bukayo Saka’s teasing delivery to the back post found substitute Gabriel Martinelli.

Saka himself then sealed the triumph with a fine first-time finish, with Arsenal remaining third, behind Liverpool and Manchester City, while Southampton sit in 19th.

Data Debrief: Saka the king of Fortress Emirates

Arsenal's triumph saw them secure their 400th home Premier League victory, becoming just the second side to reach the milestone after Manchester United (428 home wins).

But the comeback win was largely down to the performance of Saka, who has now assisted in six of Arsenal’s seven Premier League games this season, (seven in total – three more than any other player in 2024-25), while he provided two assists in a single league game for just a second time. 

Only Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Chelsea's Cole Palmer (10 each) have more Premier League goal involvements than Saka this term (nine – two goals and seven assists).

Havertz's equaliser also saw him become the first player to score in seven consecutive home appearances for Arsenal in all competitions since Robin van Persie between December 2011 – March 2012 (also a run of seven).

West Ham overcame a frantic start to secure a much-needed first home win of the Premier League season against Ipswich Town as a free-flowing performance gave them a 4-1 victory.

Michail Antonio got the hosts off to a flyer at London Stadium on Saturday with a goal after only 48 seconds, but Liam Delap provided a rapid response just five minutes later to level the contest.

West Ham, however, regained composure and Mohammed Kudus went close on 37 minutes as Antonio’s curling cross from the right found the Ghanaian at the back post, but his header hit the post before being cleared.

The hosts finally made their dominance pay when Kudus found the net to restore the lead just before half-time.

Captain Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta added to the scoreline after the break as the hosts ultimately claimed a comprehensive triumph to end a poor run of form that had seen them fail to register a win across September.

A convincing defeat for Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich means they remain winless and hover just one point above the bottom three in 17th position, while West Ham rise to 12th in the early league table. 

Data Debrief: Hosts find goalscoring form

Antonio’s opener was West Ham’s earliest Premier League goal on record (since 2006-07).

Bowen both scored and assisted in a Premier League game for the eighth time in his career. Since his debut for the Hammers in February 2020 only five players have scored and assisted in more matches in the competition (Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, Bruno Fernandes and Son Heung-min).

Fellow goalscorer Kudus scored his first league goal of the season with his 18th attempt, before today only Fernandes (17) had more shots without scoring in the Premier League in 2024-25 than the Ghanian (15).

Mateo Kovacic's brace helped Manchester City come from behind to beat Fulham 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium.

The former Chelsea midfielder struck either side of half-time, with Jeremy Doku also on target, to give Pep Guardiola's side their first win in three in the Premier League and keep the pressure on leaders Liverpool, who beat Crystal Palace earlier on Saturday.

City fell behind midway through the first half when Andreas Pereira volleyed in Raul Jimenez's back-heeled cross from close range, but Fulham passed up chances to add to their lead.

Kovacic's goals either side of half-time, and a clinching third from Doku ultimately made the visitors pay for their wastefulness, although substitute Rodrigo Muniz set up a nervy finish for the champions when he halved the deficit with two minutes to play.

City held on to stay second and move onto 17 points – one behind Liverpool – while Fulham remain sixth on 11 ahead of seventh-placed Newcastle United playing later in the day.

Data Debrief: 400 up for Walker as City hit half-century

In the second half, Kyle Walker sprinted on for his 400th Premier League appearance, becoming the 44th different player to hit the milestone.

His defensive efforts helped City equal their club record of 30 consecutive unbeaten Premier League games, while they are now 50 without defeat at home across all competitions - becoming only the fourth English top-flight side to achieve that feat.

However, they are now without a clean sheet in nine straight league games on home soil - equalling their club record - but Fulham could not take advantage, suffering their first defeat after scoring the opening goal in 20 matches.