I went back to basics to show Man City can't always rely on Erling Haaland and Rodri

Forget Erling Haaland, Manchester City have a new form forward.

Haaland's 11 goals in 10 games for City is a ridiculous figure. It's one we take for granted, but it's also true that nine of those goals came in the first five appearances of the season and just two in his last five.

It's hardly a concern by any stretch - he's had barely any space to operate and City have also been here before. So when Haaland isn't able to fire, they need someone else to step up. Last season it was often Phil Foden. On Saturday it was Jeremy Doku.

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Winger Doku has two goals and an assist in his last four appearances (one of which only lasted nine minutes), averaging a goal involvement every 57 minutes.

They are important goals, too. An opening strike to help a youthful side past Watford when Haaland was out, an assist for Foden to kill the game against Slovan Bratislava just 15 minutes in, and an effort he describes as 'beautiful' against Fulham which proved the difference between one point and three.

Last season, City wouldn't have won the Premier League without Oscar Bobb's winner at Newcastle. We won't know for another seven months if Doku's swerving, dipping, curling strike at the Etihad on Saturday will end up having a similar legacy, however, it's a reminder of how crucial each and every win can be.

Especially when the Blues are not playing anywhere near their best.

And the Fulham win proves how some of the more unfancied players in Pep Guardiola's squad can play just as important a role as the likes of Haaland.

Not that Doku agrees. "This game doesn't decide if we're champions or not," he says. "I think we're up there. Until now we've done well."

Maybe it's his laid-back nature, because he is similarly non-plussed about his own personal form.

"Obviously a club like this, there are always top players in your position. Savinho, Jack [Grealish], a lot of players. It's more about personally being on your best form.

"Since the start of the season I haven't really been on my best, best form. But the last three, four games have been better. Today is also good for my confidence."

Speaking of confidence, as Doku speaks, Fulham defender Antonee Robinson passes the winger and congratulates him on his 'great goal'. Doku would go on to describe it as 'beautiful', but wouldn't call it his best as he prefers the twisting, turning efforts he is more associated with.

Savinho had emerged as Pep Guardiola's go-to wide player in the first few weeks of the season, but Doku now has the numbers to back it up after going back to basics to rediscover his form.

"I just needed to be myself, go at the defenders," he said. "I know if I'm on my best form I know how I am. The last couple of games have been better and the statistics also follow that."

There is also praise for another unfancied name, stepping up in the absence of key man Rodri. Mateo Kovacic got a brace against Fulham, taking his tally to three for the season - equalling last season's tally already and marking his best in any campaign since 2015.

Attention is on Kovacic to produce while Rodri misses the rest of the season, but Doku believes the forwards must keep up their scoring form between them to offset any time spent trying to adapt to a new system in midfield.

"Every time we try to score more goals. It's not because Rodri's not there that we try to score more," he said. "If we can score even more we will always try with or without Rodri. He's one of a kind of a player. Today Kova' played in his position and did well. We keep on trying to win every game."

Doku says his target this season is to simply score more goals than last season, when he got seven. He's on track for that after going back to basics, and will hope there are more 'beautiful' strikes to follow.