Manchester City secured an exciting 5-4 win over Fulham on Tuesday night to close the gap at the top of the Premier League table to two points before Arsenal host Brentford on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola's team led 3-0, 4-1 and 5-1 at Craven Cottage after 57 minutes before Alex Iwobi and a Samuel Chukwueze brace for Marco Silva's team made the closing stages extra nervy for the title-chasing side.
While subsequent events slightly eclipsed it, Erling Haaland also scored his 100th Premier League goal to begin proceedings in West London, reaching the feat in record time in the competition's history.
Still, conceding four in the triumph has never been seen before under Guardiola and certainly not in the Premier League era for Man City.
Man City equal 68-year record against Fulham © Imago / Sportimage
According to Opta, Tuesday night was the first time that Man City have conceded four times in a victory since the advent of the English top flight in its current guise.
Perhaps more astonishing, their 5-4 victory over Fulham marked the first time the club would let in four in a league victory since December 1957, when they beat Sheffield Wednesday 5-4.
It was undeniably anomalous for Guardiola's team to let in as many, and they were quite fortunate not to concede a fifth in second-half stoppage time as a goal-bound effort was cleared off the line.
Man City have now conceded 16 times in 14 league games after Tuesday's match, leaving observers doubting their long-term prospects this season.
Will Man City's away form thwart Premier League prospects? © Imago / Sportsphoto
While Man City sit two points behind Arsenal before Mikel Arteta's men host Brentford, it remains to be seen if the Cityzens ultimately supplant the North London club.
Apart from their reliance on Haaland for goals, albeit he scored just one on Tuesday, the Cityzens' away results look concerning.
Guardiola's team have won just three of their seven matches on their travels in 2025-26, losing three and drawing one; however, their home form outdoes everyone else in the top flight, with 18 points accumulated from a possible 21 at the Etihad, two more than Arsenal's 16.
No team has scored more than Man City's 19 as hosts, while only Arsenal (two), Aston Villa (five) and Bournemouth (five) have let in fewer in home games so far.
While Arteta's team could push Guardiola's side to second in the home form table by defeating Brentford, the difference in level of performance between home and away games for City could harm their prospects of a ninth Premier League title.