STATS: Fulham vs Manchester City

Fulham vs Manchester City 15:00

Fulham welcome free scoring Manchester City to Craven Cottage after suffering a humbling 4-1 defeat at the hands of Everton

The 4-1 scoreline was slightly flattering on the Toffees, with two late goals doing the close encounter a disservice. For the first 70 minutes Fulham were continuing their improved form, and the all-round performance of Steve Sidwell encapsulates this. According to the EA SPORTS Player Performance, the Reading man took more shots than any other Fulham player and was successful in every single challenge that he attempted.

Sascha Reither’s foraging runs forward earned him Fulham’s Player of the Season award last term, and his performance on Saturday implied that he might be starting to hit top form again. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that all of Reither’s offensive ability was on show at the weekend as he completed 30 passes in Everton’s half – the second most of any defender in the league.

Music to the ears of Fulham fans will be the news that Dimitar Berbatov is starting to hit top form again. Things may not have always gone the enigmatic Bulgarian’s way this term, but he’s still been able to showcase his willingness to take shots at goal. So far this season, he has managed to take a shot every 48.6 minutes which is a better rate than any of his teammates.

Striker Darren Bent hasn’t always been a regular for Fulham this term, with both Martin Jol and Rene Meulensteen favouring Dimitar Berbatov as their sole front man. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index demonstrates that Meulensteen would be wise to pick the England international, as he has a far better shot to goal ratio than the Bulgarian. Bent has taken 4.5 shots for every goal, whereas Berbatov 8.3. Bent is 3/1 with 888sport.com to score at any time on Saturday.

In an incredible offensive display, Manchester City put 6 goals part Arsenal in an enthralling game at the Etihad.

David Silva’s return from injury has been a welcome boost for manager Manuel Pellegrini, and the Spanish maestro was instrumental for Manchester City on Saturday. The former Valencia man has shown his guile and creativity time and time again for the Citizens, and his excellent passing ability was evident again as he completed an impressive 48 passes in Arsenal’s half. This was the third most in the league, and he managed to make one of these passes every 1.4 minutes.

The return of Vincent Kompany has raised the spirits in the Manchester City camp, as the skipper has an excellent ability to rouse his fellow defenders and bring out the best in them. Kompany is arguably the best centre half in the world, with his outstanding eye for a tackle, imperious heading, and excellent positioning awareness making him a truly world class central defender. Kompany, however, is less renowned for his dribbling, but on Saturday, he showcased his ability to beat a man as he completed 5 dribbles – the third most in the league.

Yaya Toure’s ability to dominate the midfield has been on show this season, as he has completed 641 passes in the opposition half, what is often overlooked however, is his excellent shooting ability. So far this season, Yaya Toure has only had to take 2.7 shots to score a goal – a better rate than star striker Sergio Aguero (3.9).

Micah Richards may not have featured on a regular basis for Pellegrini’s men this term, due to a combination of injury and Zabaleta’s outstanding form, but in the minutes he has played he has shown his excellent eye for a tackle. According to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, Richards has won every challenge that he has attempted.