Fulham v Manchester City player ratings: A struggle for the Cottagers, while John Stones stars for the Premier League leaders

Pep Guardiola impressed as City go 17 points clear

FULHAM RATINGS: Alphonse Areola 6 - The Fulham goalkeeper was let down by his defence. And yet while he stopped several crosses and commanded his box well, he didn’t react fast enough to stop Stones’ tap in, and was rounded easily by Jesus for the second. He dived the right way for the penalty, but couldn’t stop Aguero’s spot-kick. EPA

Kenny Tete 6 - He continues to show glimpses of creativity and good forward momentum, but it wasn’t enough. He struggled against Mendy and was unable to prevent the Frenchman’s crosses. EPA

Tosin Adarabioyo 4 - After a solid first half the former City youngster crumbled after the break. He switched off and lost Stones in the box for City’s first, then gave away a clumsy penalty, bringing down Torres in the box. AFP

Joachim Andersen 5 - The captain made a good start and commanded his defence to hold their line as they continuously caught City’s attackers offside. But in the second half he made an error which led to Jesus winning the ball and slotting home. Getty

Ola Aina 7 - The on-loan defender was one of Fulham’s best performers. He made a number of interceptions in the middle of the park and, though he had his hands full, he displayed quick pace and strong physicality when defending against the likes of Torres and Bernado Silva. AP

Harrison Reed 4 - A lacklustre performance from the defensive midfielder who really made no impact on the game. He was energetic in trying to win the ball back, but he often dropped too deep and gave away too many needless fouls. PA

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa 6 - The midfielder got beaten easily and made some very sloppy passes, but he grafted when trying to put Rodri under pressure. PA

Ruben Loftus-Cheek 6 - The former Chelsea midfielder made some decent passes and attacking moves and he was good at drawing fouls from the City midfield, but he didn’t have an impact against City’s back three. Getty

Mario Lemina 4 - His performance tonight was in contrast to his heroics against Liverpool. He gave the ball away too often and contributed very little, and he was rightfully taken off. AP

Ivan Cavaleiro 4 – Wasteful in possession, particularly when Fulham were on the offensive, he also was disappointing on set-pieces, with one free-kick failing to make it into the box. AFP

Ademola Lookman 5 - He had a good chance early on to give the home side the lead, but he wasted it by procrastinating on the ball. He pressed constantly, but couldn’t influence things in the final third. Getty

SUBS: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Loftus-Cheek, 63) 5 - The Serbian striker was brought on to find a goal and though his physical presence caused problems, it wasn’t enough. Getty

Josh Onomah (Lemina, 73) N/A – He added a bit of spark to Fulham’s play but by then the game was long gone. AP

Antonee Robinson (Cavaleiro, 80) – n/a – The young American had a half chance in the City box, but he was shut down by Joao Cancelo. Getty

MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson 7 – The goalkeeper had very little to do in the first half apart from provide some neat passes through the lines, but he came alive after the break to make some good saves and protect his clean sheet. Getty

Joao Cancelo 7 – He supplied a number of good crosses and forward passes in the final third, the best of which was a through ball to Ferran Torres that released the Spaniard into the Fulham box. Getty

John Stones 8 - Stones managed to get on the scoresheet early on in the second half, the in-form defender losing his marker and tapping home from close range to take his goal tally in 2021 to four. Looked very accomplished bringing the ball into midfield. EPA

Ruben Dias 6 – He didn’t meet his usual high standards, but he did at least prevent Fulham from getting any real clear-cut chances. He made way for Garcia later on in the second half, possibly with the Champions League game in midweek in mind. Reuters

Aymeric Laporte 6 - The Frenchman contributed some decent interceptions and, on the left-hand side of City’s back three, he kept Mitrovic quiet. EPA

Benjamin Mendy 7 – Back for his first game since December, Mendy looked dangerous going forward and contributed several decent crosses. He also made a good block to stop a low Fulham cross into the penalty area, though he was guilty of losing his man on another occasion. EPA

Rodri 7 – Back after a rest in midweek, he fought hard to protect the defence, retain possession and start the City offensive. He showed his quality throughout. Getty

Bernado Silva 6 – The Portuguese grew into the game and, after a slow start, he took up some good positions and passed the ball well. He had one shot at goal, but ultimately his slick passing kept City moving. Reuters

Ferran Torres 7 - The Spaniard showed off his brilliant close control on the ball throughout and came close to scoring, though his shot was well saved by Areola. He earned the penalty for the third goal when he went down after a challenge by Tosin. PA

Gabriel Jesus 7 - After a quiet first half, he was much more alert in the second. He earned the free-kick for the first goal and pounced on a Fulham defensive error to round the keeper for the second. Getty

Sergio Aguero 6 - He took a while to click into City’s rhythm and was wasteful with some of his passing, but when he was needed to step up for the penalty, he didn’t falter. EPA

SUBS: Fernandinho (Bernardo, 66) - 6 - Brought on to solidify City’s lead, he did precisely that by putting a stop to Fulham’s attacks. He did give away a few fouls, but nothing that caused any threat to the City area. Getty

Eric Garcia (Dias, 75) n/a – The young defender was brought on late in the game for his first taste of action since November, but he didn’t have much of an impact. Getty

Pep Guardiola heaped praise on his Manchester City players as they moved 17 points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win at Fulham.

Sergio Aguero scored his first Premier League goal in 14 months from the penalty spot to cap off a comfortable evening at Craven Cottage.

John Stones opened the scoring after tapping home a Joao Cancelo free-kick before Gabriel Jesus benefited from a lucky ricochet when Fulham tried to clear for City's second.

Aguero stepped up and calmly drove the ball into the corner of the net and past Alphonse Areola from the penalty spot after former City defender Tosin Adarabioyo fouled Ferran Torres to seal the three points.

"In general, the game was really good in a tough, tough stadium, they came here and they won in Anfield last week and they always create chances," Guardiola said.

"We controlled really well and we played in the first half, really good. It was an important and brilliant victory."

Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.