Manchester City moved to within three points of Premier League leaders Arsenal after a commanding 3-0 win over Fulham, stretching their remarkable run to 20 consecutive victories across all competitions in this fixture.

Unbeaten in their last 55 midweek Premier League matches (W47, D8), Pep Guardiola’s side began as expected — on the front foot. Phil Foden twice threatened inside the opening 10 minutes as City immediately pinned Fulham back.

The breakthrough arrived in the 24th minute and came courtesy of a defensive lapse. A misplaced header from Sander Berge dropped invitingly for Antoine Semenyo, who made no mistake in dispatching a clinical finish for his 13th league goal of the campaign.

Fulham nearly responded instantly, but Harry Wilson’s low drive was smartly kept out by Gianluigi Donnarumma. That save proved pivotal, as City doubled their advantage just six minutes later. Semenyo turned provider this time, sliding a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Nico O’Reilly, who kept his composure to slot beyond Bernd Leno.

With momentum fully in their favour, City struck again before the interval. Erling Haaland added his customary touch of quality, sweeping a superb effort into the bottom corner from range to effectively end the contest before half-time.

Fulham, who had scored in 13 of their previous 14 league outings, attempted to mount a response after the restart. Emile Smith Rowe and Raul Jimenez both fashioned half-chances but failed to trouble the target as City remained firmly in control.

As the clock ticked into the final half-hour, Guardiola took the opportunity to rotate and protect key players, confident his side had already done the damage. The tempo dipped in the closing stages, and although Fulham applied some late pressure, the result was never in doubt.

The victory extends City’s unbeaten home league run to 12 matches (W10, D2) and ensures the pressure remains squarely on Arsenal at the top of the table.