Manchester City 3-2 Fulham: Mateo Kovacic scores twice as hosts win

City fans unveiled a banner before kick-off in boss Pep Guardiola’s native Catalan saying they want him to stay. His contract expires at the end of his season and he has been non-committal on his future.It is an undeniable fact that Manchester City are a better team with defensive midfielder Rodri starting.But since coming off, with a season-ending injury, at 1-0 up against Arsenal they drew that game and then were held by Newcastle in their next Premier League match.Failure to win here would have meant three Premier League games without a win for the first time in 2024.And for a while it was looking a real possibility.If Traore had taken his chances it might have been 2-0 to Fulham, or even 3-0.Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan have been City’s double pivot since the injury to Rodri, effectively two men replacing one.And while neither can compare to Rodri defensively, Kovacic ended up being the game’s key player.His first goal gave City a way back into the game – especially when it…