Fulham 0-2 Manchester City
Among the musical items played at the Cottage last Sunday was Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3 by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, as a wonderful atmosphere surrounded the visit of Manchester City at the close of an eventful season.
Tom Cairney, deservedly a folk hero, captained Fulham for what may prove to be his final appearance though the supporters pleaded for 'one more year'.
One person who had no reason to be present was England coach Thomas Tuchel, because during the first hour there were no English players on display.
The Whites began nervously, making unforced errors. After Sasa Lukic was penalised for brushing against an opponent it was a relief to see Omar Marmoush's free kick sail over the bar.
Jorge Cuenca, not much seen this season, broke up one attack but could not keep pace with Matheus Nunes charging into the penalty area. When Bernd Leno palmed out Nunes's lob Ilkay Gundogan converted the rebound with a majestic overhead kick. VAR could find no fault and City were in the lead halfway through the first period.
An exciting spell of play ensued. After Leno bravely defied Jeremy Doku, Harry Wilson tested Ederson with a hard low shot and Adama Traore's follow up was blocked. Neither Wilson nor Cairney, who both scored the previous week, could penetrate the visitors' defence. Andreas Pereira failed too, from a tight angle.
Fulham continued to press in the second half though Manuel Akanji headed over from a corner and Erling Haaland unwittingly got in the way of a colleague's free kick. The match was decided in the 72nd minute when Gundogan drew a foul from Sasa Lukic in the area. Harry Wilson had tried a similar strategy earlier on and received nothing apart from bruises.
It is never easy to know where the lenient Mr Madley will draw the line. Once again the decision was hard on Lukic, who had made some useful tackles and interventions but had fallen for City's ploys. Haaland, hitherto something of a spectator, outwitted Leno from the spot.
In vain Fulham demanded their own penalty when the ball struck a Manchester hand. Several similar incidents occurred in the Premier League that day and all escaped punishment because the arm was judged to be in a natural position. At least Madley was showing consistency but he was too tolerant of the visitors' timewasting.
The substitutes kept the game alive, Alex Iwobi, Josh King and Ryan Sessegnon putting constant on the visitors. Marco Silva could have introduced those exciting players earlier. An even later entrant Sander Berge drew yet another save from Ederson (whose contribution to City's victory should not be ignored).
From Sessegnon's centre Raul Jimenez tried his own version of Gundogan's overhead kick and nearly succeeded but nothing could prevent City's 18th consecutive victory over the Whites.
Kevin de Bruyne, entering the fray just before the close, was cheered by both sets of supporters. It was that kind of good-natured afternoon – apart from Mr Bishop (though we never see him), a shadowy figure who periodically arrives late and seeks an urgent meeting with the security team.
The home fans have a soft spot for him. 'Mr Bishop, he's one of our own' they sang last Sunday when they heard him mentioned on the PA. They went on to urge that he too should get one more year though that may have referred to a custodial sentence. Anyway His Excellency must have been pacified as the stewards were all in place for the annual parade of the players and their families.
Who's staying? Who's going? Will all the Hammersmith Enders be renewing their season tickets? I intend to be back at the Cottage in August (God willing). We might even beat Manchester City.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
