Manchester City eased past Fulham with a 3-0 Premier League win, yet attention centred on Erling Haaland being removed at half-time. Pep Guardiola described
the change as precautionary after Haaland mentioned discomfort, while the result moved City to within three points of leaders Arsenal in the title race.
Haaland did not return after the break and Omar Marmoush came on, with City already leading 3-0. Guardiola said the striker reported feeling uncomfortable, so the coaching staff chose not to risk further problems, especially with a busy schedule and more key Premier League fixtures approaching.
City’s victory tightened the gap, but Arsenal can restore a six-point cushion by beating Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Thursday. Guardiola stressed that the standings remain fluid, noting Arsenal’s additional fixture and underlining that City’s players cannot afford to relax during the title run-in.
Reflecting that view, Guardiola cautioned against assuming the difference had already fallen to three points. "It's not three points," Guardiola told TNT Sports. "After the game tomorrow, we'll see how many points it is. They have a game in hand. " Arsenal’s response against Brentford will dictate the margin City must chase.
City’s first-half display effectively settled the contest before any injury concerns emerged. Antoine Semenyo opened the scoring, then Nico O'Reilly doubled the advantage as Fulham struggled to cope. Haaland added a third in the 39th minute with a low finish from the edge of the box, ending a lengthy open-play drought.
The goal was Haaland’s first non-penalty strike in the Premier League since scoring twice against West Ham on 20 December, ending an eight-game run without an open-play league goal. With the score already 3-0 at half-time, Guardiola had extra freedom to replace Haaland and limit any potential physical issue.
Guardiola later expanded on the decision to withdraw the forward. "Niggles. He didn't feel comfortable. The reason why? He played many games. I didn't speak with the doctors; I don't know exactly what he has. He said he didn't feel comfortable and at 3-0, with Omar and more games to come, it was common sense. "
@PepTeam on @ErlingHaaland being replaced at half-time. pic.twitter.com/gfGWKd0X7RManchester City (@ManCity) February 11, 2026
Fulham struggles against Manchester City in Premier League
For Fulham, the defeat continued a difficult Premier League spell, with Marco Silva’s side now beaten in three straight league matches. That sequence further damages ambitions of competing for European qualification. Silva accepted City’s superiority on the night but voiced clear dissatisfaction with several aspects of Fulham’s approach and execution.
Silva said the performance fell below the standard Fulham require in matches of this level. "It was not good enough, definitely, Silva said. As always, we have to be humble enough to congratulate our opponent, and City were better than us, simple as that. But, looking at ourselves as always, we were not at the level. We knew how they were probably going to start with their high press, and on the ball, clearly, we didn't play in the way we are capable of playing. The man-on-man that City put on us most of the time during the first half, we were not able to break through. In these types of games, even if you aren't at your best level, when you have a chance, you have to be clinical and ruthless. We weren't, and that was the reason why we were losing the game at half-time. "
City leave the match with three points, Haaland back among the goals and Guardiola hopeful the discomfort is minor, while Arsenal’s game in hand keeps the pressure high. Fulham, by contrast, must halt their losing streak quickly if European hopes are to remain realistic across the rest of the season.
