Mateo Kovacic netted twice as Manchester City secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Fulham on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s team faced an early setback when Andreas Pereira put Fulham in front at the Etihad Stadium.
However, Kovacic, stepping in for the injured Rodri, found the back of the net on either side of half-time to calm City’s worries.
The Croatian midfielder’s double was followed by Jeremy Doku’s fierce strike before Rodrigo Muniz scored Fulham’s second to set up a nail-biting finish.
City maintain their unbeaten run in their first 10 matches across all competitions this season, with five wins from seven league games keeping them firmly in the race for a fifth consecutive title.
They currently sit second, one point behind table-toppers Liverpool after ending a two-game winless streak in the top flight.
Concerns have been raised about how City will manage without the key player Rodri after the Spanish international was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a severe knee injury.
While Guardiola might have been worried about Fulham’s ability to dominate at times, in Kovacic they have a capable stand-in.
City began strongly with Ilkay Gundogan shooting just wide and Erling Haaland firing across the face of goal.
Haaland also had a free-kick blocked and then headed at Bernardo Leno before City were caught off guard on Fulham’s first attack as Adama Traore broke free from Rico Lewis.
The Spaniard should have punished City but was thwarted by Ederson’s feet.
City lost focus again in the 26th minute and this time paid the price.
They failed to handle a deep cross from Antonee Robinson and the ball was worked inside to Raul Jimenez, whose clever backheel flick fell perfectly for Pereira to volley home.
Fulham should have extended their lead moments later as Alex Iwobi set up Traore, but again the former Wolves player erred, lifting the ball over the bar as Ederson closed in.
The Cottagers would regret their misses as City began their comeback when Kovacic equalised just after the half-hour mark.
Kovacic drove in from the edge of the box, via a deflection off Joachim Anderson, after a corner fell to him invitingly.
The former Chelsea star put City ahead with a composed finish two minutes after the restart.
Silva created the opportunity with a neat lay-off and Kovacic did the rest, beating Sander Berge with a deft touch and curling in a shot from 18 yards.
Doku scored the crucial third goal in the 82nd minute as he cut inside from the left and hammered a shot into the top corner.
Fulham made City work until the final whistle as Muniz turned to score with a deflected shot two minutes from full-time.
